High School Isn't a Fairy Tale
by HAWTgeek
Summary: Ella's dad has a new family.Ella has never gotten along with them.Actually, she hates them from the many years the step-sisters have done evil things to her.Now secretly dating Kelli's boyfriend,Ella is learning High School Isn't a Fairy Tale...
1. Chapter 1

Also check out the same story on under the same name and the same author name on Fiction Press

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><p>I typed the story up on my Acer laptop as I always did.<p>

I was on the school newspaper, and, as usual, this story was about my step-sisters, Miranda and Kelli Stepp. They're the coolest girls in school. Miranda is the head cheerleader, and Kelli is the leader of the dance team. Miranda is currently dating the quarterback, Lance Lott, and Kelli is with the captain of the basketball team, Demetri Prince. The four rule the school. Why wouldn't they? Miranda and Kelli are beautiful, loaded, and mean like hell. Lance is a good six four and looks like he was sculpted out of marble. Demetri is everything you want in a guy. He knows what to say and when to say it.

But I'm just Ella Goodheart. My parents got a divorce when I was ten. They share custody because, even though I hate my step-sisters, I still love my dad, but it's only like a week or so every month or two. Mom is a successful designer, and she's in Madrid for the next few months because of that. She'll make it back just in time for Graduation. So, I'm stuck with Kelli and Miranda for the next three months. My mom's flight left this morning, and I just dropped off my stuff at my dad's this morning. And I was scared like hell.

I'm senior here at Camelot High, as are my step sisters and their partners. It won't be long until I'm out of here. My best friend, Eric, and I have both applied to the same colleges. There are three that we really want though. Princeton, Wofford (my parents alma mater), and Emory. That's all we've talked about for years.

"What'd they do this time?" Eric plopped down beside me at the lunch table, setting a Social Studies book in front of us. We've been friends since we were kids. He was my neighbor, except for when he was with his dad because they got divorced when he was five. Eric was there for me when my parents divorced even though I had to move. Ever since that day we met when we were five year old where his parents came over to tell us that they just moved in next door, we've been close. He's on the swim team, but, as we barely see each other anymore, he joined the school newspaper for me.

"They're just talking about the Valentines Dance," I shrugged. Eric smiled sympathetically. He knew I didn't like them, and it wasn't just because they were mean to me. The truth was that I still wished my parents hadn't gotten divorced, and seeing them strut through this school reminds me that they did.

"So, how's my new neighbor?" Eric nudged me, making me smile.

"Hey, I've been coming to Dad's every now and then. I just didn't want to have to spend a lot of time with the Stepps," I defended myself, but I don't think he really cared.

"You do know you can't stay at school for the next three months, right?" Eric cocked an eyebrow, and I wanted to argue that it was only an hour or so after school ended. But I see Kelli and Miranda enough at school. I didn't want to see them at home, too.

"I know. Can I stay with you?"

"No, Ella," Eric crossed his arm over a Bullfrogs Swim Team tee shirt. I closed my Acer and bit my lip. I wrapped my grey jacket closer around me, hoping it would give me some courage.

"Good luck, Ellie."

_**XXXXXXX**_

I turned off the car engine and stared up at the stone home. I had grown up here, and I loved it because it reminded me of the English countryside. The house looked the same as it had when I first moved most of my stuff out to my mom's new place. The lawn was still lush and green, and the tulips were as bright as the day my mom planted them. After the divorce, I didn't like coming back to this house too much. It reminded me of the messy divorce and the awful marriage between Dalia, my step-mom, and my dad.

I sat up straighter in the car when I saw two Audi convertibles parked in front of me, under the oak tree which was the best place to park in the entire neighborhood. I unbuckled my seatbelt and slid out my key from the ignition. Grabbing my grey tote, I got out of my Prius. It had been my mom's until she upgraded to a BMW after her fall line took off. She gave me her old one because my mom didn't want to spoil me or anything, and I didn't want to get a car from my dad just because he bought Kelli and Miranda ones for their sixteenth birthday.

I opened the trunk and brought out a lilac roller duffle. Once I closed all of the doors to the car, I began to pull the duffle up the stone walkway. The crisp spring air reminded me of how I used to run up and down the lawn with Eric when we were kids. I bit my tongue as kept walking.

I couldn't believe I was spending my last semester of high school with Kelli and Miranda in my old house instead of living in the urban loft above my mom's design studio where my neighbor and one of my best friends, Gwendolyn, got to hang around all the best celebrities. I looked up at the window of my old room before I walked up on the porch. The house was four bedrooms with an attic that had just been converted into a loft. My room used to look over the perfectly manicured lawn and the lines of houses throughout the neighborhood, but, when my ste/p mother welcomed a surprise baby into the family a week before their first anniversary, little baby was taken to my room as I barely came to see my dad anyway. While I do hate Miranda and Kelli, my half-sister Sadie is awesome.

I pulled my bag up the stairs and to the concrete. I wanted to ring the doorbell, but I didn't want to have to put up with the twins the second I got in. I pulled out the key from my right jean pocket and pushed the door open.

I felt my heart stop. It hurt to be in here. Dalia changed the walls to a pale blue from the sunny walls my mom had it as. It felt cold and formal instead of homey and warm like my mom had kept it. It felt so odd to see this house look so different from how I had seen it.

"Ella!" a four year old girl ran towards me excitedly. Her auburn curls bounced as she ran, and it made me smile. She was obviously dressed by Dalia because I couldn't imagine a four year old picking it out for herself. I got down on the ground to hug her and smiled.

"You are so grown up, Sadie," I kissed the side of her head.

"_Ella_?"

I moaned.

"Hey, Kelli."

"Ella!" another woman's voice sounded throughout the halls. I looked up to see a woman with bright hazel eyes looking at me with a smile. Her unnaturally white teeth smiled, and it looked like she may have gotten some cosmetic dentistry since I last saw her. She was a pair of crisp forever twenty one jeans, a black blazer, and a purple wrap top that maximized her C-Cups and minimized her waist. Her perfectly colored auburn hair had been professionally straightened and was being held in place by a pure diamond clip.

Dalia didn't look any different from how she had looked on her wedding day to my father. I didn't know if it involved Botox or any other cosmetic surgery, but I did know that I wanted to look like that at her age.

"Hey, Dalia," I got up from crouching on the ground to talk to Sadie. Dalia smiled warmly at me as she began to make her four-inch-high-heels-slow walk towards me. When the clacks of her high heels stopped echoing off the hardwood floors, Dalia pulled me into a hug. Her diamond necklaces hurt me in the embrace, but I hugged back anyway.

"You've grown up so much, Ella," she seemed to glow with pride as if she was to thank for all that, "You're father is out of town for the next few days, but he'll be back soon, I promise."

I simply nodded towards her. I didn't like doing this, but it had to be done. I had to make peace with these people eventually. It was then that out of the corner of my eye, I saw the four I had been dreading to see.

Lance was sitting in the Lazy Boy that my dad used to let me sit in with him while we watched some Disney Movie. His red hair was curly and messy in that cute boyish way. His dark green eyes looked at me, but I ignored it. Beside him, Kelli sat in a leotard that she had become known for throughout the school along with a high-waisted black mini over it. Her perfect blonde blowout had been fashioned up in a perfect ponytail that I could never seem to manage. Her stilettoes had been kicked off at the front door. She had her perfectly toned dance legs dangling over the side of the couch. Standing in front of her, Miranda had changed out of her Bullfrogs cheerleading outfit and into something that only she could pull off. Her black tank top was matched by a pair of dark wash skinny jeans. Her Prada heels made her look three inches taller, and her shrug went to her upper torso and was a scratchy grey tweed.

Then there was Demetri.

It was only natural to think he was hot. There was no way he was my type but still nice to look at.

"How's your mom doing?" Dalia smiled.

I knew it had to happen. She _was_ her husband's ex-wife. It would be weird if Dalia didn't want to know how she was, but _everyone_ knew how she was. Her story was everywhere. _'Girl gives up her dream of designing to be a lawyer so she could stay with her college boyfriend. After a messy divorce, she took her daughter and built a design company from the ground.'_ Every magazine had flocked around my mom. With how much People and Cosmo Dalia reads, I know she had to have read about Mom.

"She's doing great," I smiled.

I was proud of my mom. She didn't mope around or go searching for a new husband like some women do after a divorce. She lived her dream. Mom made a better life for herself and her daughter, and I respect that. My dad was the one to file for divorce. Three years after they broke up, he was remarried and with a new family. Oh and he took the house. I love him, but I'm not really proud of him.

"That's wonderful, Darling," Dalia smiled brightly.

"Ella, where's Eric?" Sadie asked, making me smile. When she was younger, Kelli and Miranda would _never_ babysit her. So, Eric and I asked if we could. For about two years, until school took over our lives, we did just that.

"Oh, Eric! How is he?" Dalia looked at me as if to ask 'Is he _finally_ your boyfriend?'

"Um, he's…_Eric_," I shrugged. It felt weird to talk about him in here. Maybe it was the fact that the 'royalty' of our school was standing about four feet away, but I didn't like it.

"What ever happened to him?" Miranda pouted like she was trying to remember something.

"He's lived next door since he was five years old," I looked over at her as if she was an idiot, which I didn't feel bad about. Her amber eyes hardened as she looked at me. Kelli was still struck in awe though. They haven't paid me any attention since I was thirteen, and I didn't look like that acne-infested girl anymore. While their designer outfits made my jeans and tee shirt feel inadequate, I didn't show it. I had spent enough time around models to learn how to not let stuff get to me.

"Oh right," Miranda smiled, but she kept giving me death glares as she did so.

"Ella," Dalia started. I could tell exactly what she doing. She didn't want a fight, but it was too late for that. Our fight started five years ago when she poured a flute of Champaign down my dress at their wedding, "You'll just love the attic. We went into overdrive trying to have it suited up for you in time."

"Thanks, Dalia."

"Girls, why don't you show her to her room?" Dalia smiled at her daughters, and all three of us looked at her as if she was crazy. Even _Sadie _noticed.

"Mommy, can I take her to her room?" Sadie asked nervously. I sighed with gratitude and smiled at her. Sadie smiled at me even though she didn't know what a great favor she had given me.

"Well, alright," Dalia seemed a little disappointed, but_ I _was pretty happy with it. Sadie took my hand and started to pull me up the stairs. Pulling the duffle behind me, I followed the little four year old. I knew I wasn't going to like what I saw upstairs. If I got upset about a _hallway_, I knew the place that used to hold my old room wouldn't go well for me.

I took a sigh of relief when I was away from the Twins of Hell and pulled up the purple duffle. The walls were the same pale blue downstairs, but everything else was the same as when I left. Pictures of me with me with my dad and the some of the Stepps hung on the walls. Bookshelves held book after book, and I'm sure beyond belief that Kelli and Miranda have probably never read them. I paused by one bookshelf that held the Iliad and Odyssey. When I was younger, I loved Greek Mythology. My dad would read it to me sometimes when I felt anxious or needed to get to sleep.

Sadie walked by the first room by the large window that overlooked the neighborhood. It was my old-and her new-room. Beside it, two more doors led to Kelli and Miranda's room. My mom had used Kelli's as an office space, and Miranda's was a guest bedroom. I bit my tongue not to open the door and followed Sadie as she went to the door at the end of the hall.

When I was a little kid, I open the door quietly as if going up there was my little secret. I would climb the stairs, cringing when the steps creaked. When I got up there, it would smell like old people and moth balls. Just about every box that was up there had been opened by me during those visits. It was hard to imagine it not looking like that when I got there, but I knew Dalia would never keep it like that. I began to long for my dad to be there, remembering old times like me.

Sadie pulled the door open, and a chill ran down my spine when I heard the creak as it opened. I noticed that the stairs had been redone to match the hardwood floors whereas it had been old wood that matched the wood on the paneled walls. Instead, the walls were the same pale blue I had seen throughout the house. It smelled of apple-scented candles and open air. It was cold instead of the hot and musty atmosphere I had known before in this old attic. No steps creaked when we walked up them to get to the room. As we reached the top, I almost dropped my bag from shock.

It wasn't even close to the attic I had known before. Where an old desk used to sit, a bed had been placed in front of the window that overlooked the front lawn and the front lawns of all the other houses. A black duvet covered the bed, a huge contrast to the light blue. The sun shone in as if to say 'You'll be okay, Ella.' Dalia had a desk made to fit the corner and was painted pitch black with a lamp where you could plug in a laptop on top. Two beanbags sat in front of the bed where ere you could watch TV on the flat screen. There was a little nook where a window looked over at the neighbor's house and into Eric's room. As a getting on the swim team, just like his dad had years before, his dad let him move into his old office that was in the attic.

"Sadie, Riley's at the door!" Miranda's voice shrieked, and Sadie smiled.

"Go ahead, Sadie," I smiled.

"Thanks, Ella," she told me before she ran down the stairs to whoever the hell Riley was. I set my bag down and started to walk around the room. I began to miss my old room in the bustling downtown. If I ever got bored, I could walk downstairs to my mom's store. The front was the first store she opened, and, though she has some all over the world, she keeps it open for sentimental reasons. Then you go to the back to see a busy office. I could leave and head over to the sweet shop with Gwen. All it took was me going downstairs, taking a few turns, and pressing a buzzer to an apartment building to get to Gwen's to do whatever. I guess it's great to be by Eric though.

I bit my lip as if I was disgusted with myself, but I kept walking towards the window. Eric was in there, shirtless for who knows why. He was banging his head against a wall before picking up his phone. He stepped up to the window, looking down so he didn't see me. He dialed in a number and drummed his hands against the window.

"_This is my last call to you-_"

Last call by Plain White T's blared from my cell phone, making me grin. I took the phone from my tote and stepped back to the window as I pressed 'accept'

"Do you _ever _wear a shirt, Eric?"

His green eyes shot up immediately to where he saw me. At first, he was a little speechless, but, eventually, he unsuccessfully attempted to explain. I continued to smile though as if to say 'No way in hell you're getting out of this one'. He walked away for a moment and returned in a muscle tee shirt.

"You-you can see in my room," Eric stumbled.

"Ever considered blinds?" I smirked, and he blushed to the shade of a strawberry, which was kinda cute to tell you the truth. I'd never tell him that though. He ran a hand through his Beiber-cut black hair nervously and looked back down at the hedge between the two houses.

"Ever considered not peeping in on your neighbor?" Eric looked up at me. I shrugged as if the thought had never crossed my mind.

"So, you're there? Any fights with the twins, yet?" he smiled warily. Even if there wasn't one today, there'd be one tomorrow.

"Nah, they're too busy with their boyfriends to notice their arch enemy came to live with them for a few months," I sighed, wondering if the window still opened like it used to. I didn't like hearing the way the phone lines altered his voice when I could easily just talk to him. It sounded hollow and made me miss him for an odd reason.

"The 'Boy Toys' are down there?"

"They're not 'Boy Toys', Eric," I reprimanded him even though I had no idea why I did.

"You're defending them?"

"No, I'm not," I lied.

He was right, but I had no clue why I'd defend them. They were dumb enough to date my step-sisters. Why would I take a liking to people who were stupid beyond belief?

But I _was_.

"No, no," Eric looked at me as if he were disappointed.

"_What?_"

"You like Demetri, don't you?"

"I do not," I told him indignantly

"Oh my God! You do!" Eric stared at me. I didn't know what to say. I couldn't like _Demetri_. He was nothing like my type. The guys that I tend to like are like Daniel Dubois, the French exchange student who I dated before he returned home at the end of the last semester. I was not a 'Demetri' girl, and I was most definitely not his type. There is no way that this would really happen. And there's _no reason_ for me to like him. He's never spoken word one to me, and, if he did, it would probably be him asking me to study or something.

Anyway, why would he want me when he could just as easily have Kelli.

Eric hesitated on whatever he was going to say. I knew he wanted to make fun of me for this, but I really wasn't in the mood. The look in my eyes told him to talk about something else and fast. I wasn't sure if he would though. The Eric I knew would make fun of me until he lost his voice, but there something else to him as I stood there. And I really like this side.

"Listen, I need some help studying. Maybe we could head over to the library. It would get you away from your family," he shrugged as if he wasn't being insanely nice to me. I nodded.

"I'll drive?"

"We get pizza afterwards?"

"Deal," I watched him hand up through the window and put the phone in my jean pocket. Grabbing my tote and the way out, I proceeded to run down the stairs and head back downstairs.

"Ella," Dalia stopped me as soon as I opened the front door. I froze as if she had thrown a paralyzing dart instead of her voice. I gripped the doorknob, hoping Eric would say me once again. I really liked it when he did that.

"Yes, Dalia?" I turned around, pretending to smile as if she hadn't stopped me from making a break for it.

"Where are you going?" her arms were crossed, and her perfectly tweezed eyebrows were knit in confusion.

"My friend needs some help studying for a Social Studies test in the morning. He just called to ask if I could help him study," I didn't remove my hand from the doorknob, ready to make a run for it. I ignored the stares from the four teenagers in the room over and kept my eyes on Dalia.

"Do I know him?"

"It's Eric," I smiled.

"When will you be back?"

"Uh, soon, I guess."

I wasn't really used to this. My mom asked me when I'd be back and everything, but she always did it in a friendly way. I felt like I was being interrogated.

"Well," Dalia didn't seem to know how to finish. I guess her kids always gave up, "don't stay out to long."

"Wouldn't," I smiled victoriously as I walked out the door.

Eric was smiling something-I have no idea what- as he stood by my white Pruis. He had slid an Atlanta Braves sweatshirt on, but he looked exactly the same as earlier other than that. He smile was wide, and I knew what he was going to say even before he said it.

"Go ahead. Get it all out," I told him as I unlocked the car.

"I have no idea what you're talking about," Eric slid into the car. I got in after him and held the keys up in wager.

"You and Demetri sittin' in a tree…" he was about to continue the song before I pressed the radio dial and cranked it too high up for me to hear what he was saying. Kelli looked out the window, her face annoyed, and Demetri was looking behind her.

But his face was blank. My heart skipped a beat, but I knew it shouldn't have.

Eric turned down the dial to say one last thing.

"There's your Prince Charming," Eric told me with a cocky grin.

"High School isn't a fairy tale, Eric."

And if it was, I'd be the ugly step sister and Kelli would be Cinderella…

_**Okay, so I know that there are a lot of Cinderella stories out there, but I might as well have given it a shot. Keep reading :)**_


	2. Chapter 2

I moaned as I sat up in bed. For the last hour or so, downstairs had been a racket. It was six am, and I had tried to sleep through it. But it was like it got louder every time I was about to fall asleep.

As I stepped on the floor, I began to shiver. It was a cold February morning that was made worse by the pour heating in the attic. My body begged me to get back in bed, but I didn't give in. Instead, I forced my teeth to stop chattering as I went down the cold stairs to the second floor. No one seemed to be around, but the music was definitely louder. This time I could manage to make out that it was Jason Derulo's 'Don't Wanna Go Home', and I knew exactly who was playing it. As I stepped past Sadie's room and heard snoring.

She can sleep through this?

_Lucky_.

I went downstairs to find that the music was enough to give me a migraine, but I kept walking to the kitchen. Dalia was blending some diet shake, and she didn't even seem to notice the awful noise. _What's up with this family?_

"Oh, Ella, you're finally up," Dalia grinned when she looked at me.

"It's _six thirty."_

"I know. I wanted you to sleep in on your first day," Dalia smiled a pure-botox smile, "Medifast shake?" Dalia motioned towards the blender.

The liquid inside reminded me of what Eric puked when we went on a rollercoaster after spending the day at a Swiss Chocolate factory three years ago.

"I'm good," I walked towards the refrigerator, happy to have the blender out of sight, and looked through it.

Whole Wheat Eggos. Enough Redbull to keep me awake for the next ten years. Carrots. Eggs. Tofu. Whole Wheat, thin crust, veggie pizza lean cuisine. A few bottles of Gatorade and Propel.

I took a Propel and went to the bowl of fruit on the kitchen island. I took an apple and told myself I'd stop by Panera Bread before school and get some real food and a nice mocha coffee. Dalia, a medifast shake in her hand, walked towards the window to look at the manicured grounds behind the house. She began to spin her diamond wedding ring around as if remembering her wedding out there.

I began to walk out of the kitchen. While it was cozy and warm in there, I knew Miranda and Kelli would be in any minute to get one of those shakes Dalia made, and freezing my ass off would be better than seeing them.

_Too late. _

In front of me, the twins both looked rested and peaceful as if they had slept for weeks. Miranda's size four body was shown off in a camisole and boy shorts, and her auburn blowout was fashioned in a perfect bun. Her green-brown eyes looked at me with interest, and it sort of scared me. Kelli was close behind her. She was a size two from dancing so much, but I don't think Miranda cared about being bigger than her. Kelli was wearing the same outfits as Miranda, including the hair-do. By the sweat on their brows, I could tell the music meant they were working out. Those small clothes sizes don't come to girls who don't work at it.

Miranda seemed to be trying to give me a chance recently. She doesn't like me, but she doesn't hate me. But ever since I left with Eric yesterday, Kelli's been a total bitch to me. Maybe she can see that I like her boyfriend or something.

"On a diet?" Kelli sneered, and Miranda glanced back at her as if saying 'Shut up, you cow'. I didn't like Kelli being mean, but I definitely didn't like _Miranda_ defending me.

"Is Mom done with those shakes, yet?" Miranda asked in a monotone, trying her hardest not to be a Frigid Bitch, but it was pretty hard for her.

"Yeah," I nodded, not bring up how it reminded me of chocolate puke. I could laugh about them drinking it later. Right now, I just wanted to get back to the attic so I could change and get out of here. Kelli walked past Miranda and me to get one of those shakes, and Miranda just kept looking at me.

"Uh, I'm sorry about what happened about Eric yesterday," Miranda looked down, "Coming here must have been hard. My dad got remarried, too, and it was hard for me to stay with him last summer after everything that had gone down."

I couldn't believe it. _Miranda _was _apologizing_? This is an once-in-a-lifetime thing.

"Thanks, Miranda."

"And, I also wanted to tell you that Demetri and Lance will be here soon. They always do. Demetri helps us study then and after school," Miranda told me, looking me in the eyes this time. I knew what she meant. She was warning me that I would have to see Demetri a lot. So, either I need to do something about it or get over it.

Right then.

"Thanks for the heads up," I smiled to her as I walked over to the stairs. She went into the kitchen, prepared to act like this never happened.

_**Fourty-Five Minutes Later:**_

I hurriedly tied my shoes, cursing under my breath.

I wanted to be out of here earlier, when Lance and Demetri would be in the kitchen and I could sneak out without them seeing me, but that time had passed fifteen minutes ago. I would _have_ to run into him now, and I didn't like that. I wanted to simply walk away, not thinking about it. It was impossible for me to play coy forever. I freaked out when I saw Lance and Demetri walk up the drive to the front door after getting out of Demetri's Benz. There will be a day when they catch me freaking out, but I would prefer it not be today.

I didn't know why I had a crush on Demetri. Maybe it was the way he reminded me of what a Greek God should look like. Or even how he seemed to be perfect in every way.

His dad is a lawyer who was born and raised her. He went into practice with my dad when I was three, and I remember events where I saw Demetri. But, he never paid me any attention that I noticed. His dad, Jeffery Prince, was expected to marry some 'all-american' woman from here in town, but he didn't. The story of he and his wife is legendary around here and was told at just about every work function I had attended for my father. Two decades ago, he went to Greece for a vacation. He met a woman, Athena, who was a beautiful writer. He was cute in that 'All-American' way, but Athena paid him no attention. He spent his entire vacation trying to just get her _attention_. Then one day, she heard him discussing how Greece had transformed from the amazing, ancient civilization into such a corrupt place, and Athena took an interest in him. She made conversation with him every day, becoming more and more interested. He was there for a month, and she took him all around Greece, showing him the best spots in the county. By the end of that time, they were dating. Once, she flew over here and fell in love with it. After her mother died, Athena felt nothing holding her back in Greece. She packed her bags and moved here. Not long afterwards, they were married and expecting Demetri.

Demetri's blue eyes were inherited from his father, but everything else came from his mother. He has a little sister, Lisa, who is beautiful, just like their mother, but Demetri takes top prize in the family. His bright smile could light up the world better than Apollo, the Greek sun god, could have aspired to do himself. The way his blue eyes shine make you instantly intrigued. His curly black hair always falls in his face, but it's adorable. And his perfectly toned body has never been without a perfect tan.

I first met him when we were three, and we were never close. As kids, we played with each other while our parents discussed business, but that time ended. After my parents divorced, I barely ever saw him as he went to a different school than me. I would see him at events where our parents had to bring us, and we said the polite hellos. It never went any farther though. He went to my middle school, but we ran in different crowds. As we got older, I became a faint memory to him. Of course, he would say the polite 'hellos' again if at a meetingwhere we _had _to talk, but that was simply it.

Until yesterday, I probably never crossed his mind. He had forgotten about it. That's why he looked out the window most likely yesterday. He was trying to remember where that face looked familiar, and, when he remembered me, he had no feelings. That's why his face was blank.

A few years ago, before he was so cute, I found him interesting. I looked forward to the few accounts where I saw him and developed a crush on him. He talked to me, and there were a few times where he showed intrigue in me. But I was nothing to him. I was just Ella, a girl who he could debate with. As the times I saw him became rarer and rarer, I put my crush behind me and forced myself to except the fact that I was nothing to him and 'we' would never happen.

I had never really known him, but I still couldn't imagine him with Kelli. They're so vastly different. He was sweet and smart when I knew him, and I'm pretty sure she's never had a 'B' other than her 'B' cups. I've also never seen her sweet even if her life depended on it. I couldn't see why he would be with her other than how she was beautiful and a prize. The twins are wanted by every guy in school, and the truth is that it has nothing to do with them. It has to do with the guy. Dating Miranda or Kelli is a status symbol. Walking in school with their arm around either twin is like shouting out that they are everything every guy wants to be.

I stood up and looked through the window to Eric. His blinds were up, and he was studying a Social Studies book for his test today. He had woken up at six fifty because his little sister woke him up and gotten ready in fifteen minutes. He then sent me a text saying he was ready when I was. So, he's just been sitting there, by his window. While it made me hurry, it also made me want to stand there, watching him. He was still like a statue, absorbed in the book. His green eyes flit from word to word, and his eyebrows were knit in thought.

I didn't want to disturb him, but I knew I might as well. I got my cell phone out of my pocket and typed in his number. I watched through the window as he reached for the phone from his bed, the blank expression on his face, and answered the phone. As he said "Hello?", Eric stuffed the book into his backpack, knowing exactly who it was.

"Ready?"

Eric was showing me a short cut to school. I hadn't been here too many times, and I hadn't had to drive from here to school in forever. The way I knew would take me forever, and I wanted to be there early so I could plot my day to avoid the twins and Demetri.

"You could try saying hello once, Ella," he flashed a smile in my direction, and I forgot about Demetri for a moment or two.

"Alright. Hello, Eric. Now, are you ready?"

"Yeah, I'll keep the Corvette in the street, waiting for you. Don't take too long," Eric told me. He wasn't much of a 'Corvette' guy, but his dad was. The car was old but in a 'collectible' perfect condition way. Eric's day loved the car more than he loved his first wife, Eric's mom, and all of the other girls he's dated since he divorced her. It was a shock when the Corvette was passed down, but, apparently, he found another car that was older and in better condition. So, he bought the car and handed the old one to Eric.

The car was something to be respected. My Prius was just a car. I never really cared about it, but there was something about the Corvette. It was _the Corvette_. It was unspoken rule that you had to love it, and you did. No one ever messed with it. No one ever made fun of it. In a way, it was on a pedestal, away from the rest of the world, including its driver. Eric was always solemn when speaking of the car. You didn't _dare_ crack a grin when speaking of it.

"Got it, Eric," I smiled and watched as he hung up the phone. I kept watching as he shouldered his bag and left the room, and I swear I could feel the echo of the door closing after him. I began to dread going downstairs and thought about claiming to have a cold or something, but it wouldn't be any better. The boys would come over after school, and I wouldn't be able to leave. I would be confined to this freezing bed.

I bit my tongue as I listened to my converse on the floor, dreading each step I took. I stuffed my hands in my pockets, suddenly feeling pale and cold. I knew I'd feel inadequate when I saw Kelli and Miranda. They wore designer clothes in all the newest trends, and I wore jeans just about every day. That day I was wearing a 'Princeton' tee shirt and a pair of jeans.

By now, I could see Sadie running up and down the hallway to the bathroom.

"Good morning, Sadie," I called out to her, and she said good morning to me as well as she ran back into her room, her skirt flitting around behind her that reminded me of a ballerina for some odd reason.

I kept walking to go down the stairs to see no one, but I could hear Demetri explaining a math problem to someone in the living room. Frowning, I got out my keys and was about to walk out, and through their vision, to the outside world.

"Ella?" Dalia asked.

I moaned.

I turned around and went into the kitchen. Dalia held a protein bar in her bony hand and smiled at me as she stood in front of the marble countertop. A crisp business suit hugged her size four body like a motherly embrace. She was a personal shopper who was actually pretty good at it. She worked over at Barney's and loved to compare her job, and life, to that of Rebecca from Shopaholic. When we were younger, Kelli and Miranda loved to talk about their mom's 'cool' job, but, now, it was simply a bore to them. As long as they got their Amex, they didn't care where the money came from.

Dalia's smile seemed to outshine the many diamonds she was wearing in a way that made you awestruck, but the diamonds were still pretty impressive. Her colorless diamond necklace hung perfects on her collarbone, and two carat diamond studs hung from her ears. The bun her perfectly colored auburn curls were held in must have taken forever to master, and the way her outfit shone in the morning sun made me want a nap and a pair of sunglasses.

"Ella, there are some rules in this house," Dalia put down her protein bar on the countertop and picked up a lilac folder with 'House Rules' written in cursive. She twisted back out around to hand me the folder, still smiling that creepy smile.

"And your father and I agreed that we should just give you this so we don't run into any trouble," she thrust out the folder, and I took it cautiously.

It smelled of my mom's old garden on a warm summer day, and I knew the cursive writing was printed on and raised up by _If It's Paper…_, a local copy shop nearby. Inside, crisp booklets lined each pocket of the folder, and I could see a Visa poking out of one flap. The right pocket read 'Rules' in the same print as on the front, and the left said 'Punishments'.

Dalia pulled out the Visa.

"There is a three hundred dollar limit for each month. So, try not to waste it," she spoke as if three hundred was nothing at all.

My mom and I had a deal when I lived with her. She would pay for stuff I needed, like clothes and food, but the stuff I _wanted_ was up to me. My mom called it 'allowance', but I got paid for working at her store. When I first started, at twelve, I would run errands and get what someone needed. At thirteen, when I started staying with mom more, I helped the customers. At fifteen, I did it all. I ran errands, worked with the customers, helped mom decide on designs and such, swept the floors if needed, ran the register, and so on. That's been the deal for years, and I was used to it.

"Thanks, Dalia," I didn't really know what to say. I felt like the odd man out here. With mom, I was like everybody else. I was commended by the models for being perfectly happy with my size six body while most of them suffered from eating disorders. The people who worked with mom thought I was so great for helping out when their kids wouldn't help at all. My friends loved the loft above the store, and my mom was fine with things. She was a cautious parent, but she trusted me.

I wasn't so sure that Dad trusted me if he was giving me a booklet on punishment and crimes of this household.

"Oh, and what time will you be home from school today?"

It still felt off, but I had learned that Dalia was obsessed with knowing times. Dad told me that it was because she got in some trouble at our age and didn't want the ones she cared about to go through the same. He never told me what she did that was so bad, but I never asked. All I knew was that my arch-enemies were kept under a tight leash, and I had no problem with that.

"About four or so," I told her, not including that Gwen and Eric were coming over to study at that time. I'd bring it up when the time came. I knew Kelli and Miranda always lied about something with school came up so they'd get home later, and, for once, I think they might have a good plan.

"Great. Need anything before school? You barely ate," Dalia asked.

I didn't think right now would be a good time to mention that I had Gwen, also on the school paper, picking me up something from Panera bread and simply shrugged as if to say 'Just not hungry this morning…'

I went to the refrigerator and grabbed another Propel, ready to get some sugar in my blood so I could run out of here like it was a track meet.

"Demetri," Dalia said in her melodious voice. I paused for a moment before closing the frig door.

_Damn it. _

"Hey, Mrs. Goodheart," Demetri's deep voice told her.

It felt weird to hear someone say 'Mrs. Goodheart' when not referring to my mom. Of course, my mom went back to her maiden name, Fairchild, after the divorce, but I had _never once_ heard Dalia referred to as 'Mrs. Goodheart'

"Oh, call me Dalia." I knew she was smiling, but I didn't look back to double check.

"Demetri, you know Ella, right?" Dalia cooed, and I turned back around to look at him, knowing I had to. It hurt to see him, but I didn't show it. His sapphire blue eyes looked- and really _looked_ this time instead of the glance yesterday- at me for the true first time in years. Demetri's face was unreadable, not that I could have thought straight enough to read it anyway.

"Yeah, I think we met as kids," Demetri didn't take his eyes off me, and I could tell Dalia noticed. I smiled politely, following my mother's rules.

As a child, I was taught was everyone needs to know. I was taught how to fake a smile, politely say hello, and mask the feelings I didn't want anyone to see until I could get away and freak out.

"Yeah, you have a little sister…named…" I pretended that I didn't remember every conversation we had ever had, not that there were many.

"Lisa," Demetri finished for me, making me smile.

"That's it," I acted as if she-and therefore he- was a distant memory.

The familiar honk of the Corvette brought me back to reality.

Shit. How'd I forget about him waiting?

"I better get going. It's great to see you again, Demetri," I smiled before rushing out the door. I kept walking until I had reached the safety of my car and was opening the door.

"Took you long enough," Eric smirked. I looked up to see he was looking over at the fence, the Corvette waiting for it's owner to get in the started car and drive off.

"Sorry," I told him, and he nodded. I could tell by his eyes that he knew that Demetri was somewhere in this problem. Eric knew me well enough to know that.

_**Three-Forty:**_

I had more friends than just Gwen and Eric, but they meant everything to me. They understood me better than anyone else could. We all met in odd ways, even though there were so many ways that we should have already known each other. You know the story to how Eric and I met. His parents moved beside my parents, and we were friends from then on. But we met Gwen through different circumstances.

I met her when we were twelve. My parents had only been divorced two years, and my dad was dating Dalia. Back then, I spent a week with my mom and a week with my dad, and, during one of the weeks with mom, my mom had a big event-can't remember what it was just now- and she needed to pick something from the collection. This was around the time her business had just taken off. My mom had me come down to help her pick something out, and I saw another girl with her mom in there. I knew her mom. She and my mom had known each other sort of, but she was also a radio show host. Everyone loved her-including me, but I didn't go up to her or anything. Instead, I went around, trying to find something. After an hour of that, Gwen's mom went in the dressing room. Neither of us could find the right dress for either. So, Gwen suggested we switch options. Our mom's loved the dresses we were given.

After that, we became best friends almost immediately, and it was Eric's turn to meet her.

It was almost three weeks after that when he met her. As it turns out, Gwen had gone to the same school as us for years. We went in to lunch and sat at the table I usually met Eric at. It was then that-being chased by some random friend of Eric- Eric ran into the lunchroom. Everyone looked at him as he continued, not that he noticed or cared. He plopped down at the table, cowering behind me. The guy was known for having a crush on me, and they both knew I hated it when they fought all the time. They did it anyway, but they tried to hide it from me. The guy stuttered an apology and gave Eric a "We'll finish this later" look and went to go get some food. I introduced Eric to find out that they went to camp together over the last summer and that she was _that_ Gwen who was his arch enemy, always competing to be the best. It took them almost a month to get over that and become friends.

But, after that, we were almost inseparable.

All three of-though our situations were different-understood how it was to come from a broken family.

My parents got divorced when I was ten, and Eric's got divorced when he was six or so, when his sister was four, because Eric's dad was cheating. But Gwen never knew her dad.

No one really knows who he is. Her mom focused on her career for years when she suddenly realized that she hadn't lived her life like she had wanted. She didn't like people telling her she couldn't do things, but she knew she didn't have much time left when she could still be pregnant. So, she went to a sperm bank and decided to do it all herself.

Gwen looks exactly like her mom and doesn't really care that she's never met her dad. She has an uncle, Charlie, who is like a dad. Then there's the guy who is on the Radio Show with her mom who is also like a dad, and Gwen get's along great with her mom's boyfriend. So, truthfully, she's got _three_ dads instead of the one guy who helped create her.

Gwen seems fine with it, but there are times when you know it gets to her.

I turned off the car, and Gwen and I piled out of the Prius. Her smart car was waiting back at school because there are enough cars here already.

"Looks like _'He-Who-Shall-Not-Be-Named' _isn't here," Gwen smirked as she pulled out a North-Face backpack. It was her favorite brand basically. She just trusts North Face. I don't know why, but it's like its holy or something to her. Either way, she's an odd bird anyway.

Her rose-colored hair blew in the cool breeze. Her hair used to be almost-white-blonde until a dare in eighth grade. It started as getting it a light red, but we started watching John Tucker Must Die instead of the timer. And she came out looking like Ronald McDonald. We toned it down a lot so that she didn't look like Wendy from Wendy's. But she found that she liked it looking like a rose. So, the last four years have been spent with her like that.

Gwendolyn stood at a respectable 5'5, five inches shorter than me. If you think she's short, you should see her mom who is two inches shorter than her. Her pale skin was shining in the sun as if she was a vampire, not that I'd ever tell her that. Gwen burns so easily that the only time she's been tan is when she gets a spray tan, and she always wears at least _one _thing that's kind of quirky. Yesterday, it was a pink dress that a lot of people would wear to the Valentines dance in two weeks with a blue tee shirt underneath. The Friday before that was looking completely professional except for a lime green 'Morning Magic' tee shirt for her mom's radio station. Today, she was wearing a pair of jeans and a black corset over an aquamarine tee shirt. I had always admired and envied her courage.

She placed two hands on her corset-covered-waist. She had been complaining that it had been killing her for hours, but this was the first time she did anything about it. At school, she acted like she was perfect, other than complaining to me and Eric, but, other than that, you would have thought that she was so happy as if she was wearing her favorite pair of sweats.

"You better be talking about Voldemort," I huffed before locking my car door and getting on my tippy toes to see over the fence.

No Eric.

I unlocked the front door, silently wondering why the hell it was locked. I went straight to the living room, wanting to claim the front of the house so that I didn't get stuck in the kitchen. When it came to this, the kitchen was Siberia and the living room was the wonderful promise of a free world. If we were in the kitchen, we would be subjective to them interrupting us and coming in to get a snack. Then, we would have the whole awkward hello and goodbye thing if we tried to leave. Even worse, I might be subjected to 'When will you be back?' rants.

"Wow…it looks so…_different_."

Gwen had only been here a few times, and those times were before Dalia redecorated the place. I used to come over here before the whole 'Dalia Moving In' thing and have my friends over. This was back before my dad became so serious. Gwen and I would stay up, listening to Jesse McCartney and eating Oreos. But that time didn't last long.

"Yeah," I solemnly told her, wondering what would be happening if my parents hadn't gotten divorced. I had pondered this a lot. I knew they wouldn't be happy, therefore I wouldn't be, but it was something to think about.

Gwen set her bag down by the couch and slid out of her north face and pushed her red hair behind her ear. Her frown was small but ever present. The house looked dignified and gorgeous, but we hated it. It felt cold and heartless. We knew it was the warm home we had known before.

It used to be the kind of place that you would play in the sprinklers on a hot July day. Run around and jump in the leave piles formed on the front lawn on a warm fall day. Practice your ballet moves on the tile floor as your mom makes pancakes and bacon for breakfast. Have a nightmare and run into your parents room. Where you could fall asleep in your dad's arms while watching the Little Mermaid. Run outside in an ugly winter coat to make snow angles after making a snow man before coming back in for a hot cup of cocoa. Then make gingerbread cookies for Santa with your grandmother. The kind of place where you run down the stairs in your Mickey Mouse pajamas on Christmas morning.

But it wasn't like that anymore.

It was the kind of place where you didn't dare take off your shoes unless you were in your room. You would throw formal events here, not sleep overs, where you wore enough diamonds to fill a jewelry store and priceless evening gowns.

This was Miranda and Kelli's life.

My dad didn't get that. He thought he could change me into them, but I didn't _want_ to be like them. I was _Ella_ and quite frankly proud of it. I just wished he liked 'Ella'.

"When's Dorky McDorkster getting here?"

"His name is Eric."

"Eric, Dorky McDorkster. I don't hear much of a difference," Gwen sat down on the couch and fished out a French book.

"I thought you said you didn't want to keep wearing the Corset," I knit my eyebrows, and Gwen simply shrugged.

"Eh, I want to watch Kelli and Miranda freak," Gwen smiled her mischievous smile. I wanted to smile but couldn't manage it. I wanted them to freak out, or at least I wanted Kelli to. Miranda seems different from the girl I knew. I don't know what it is. Maybe she's trying to make peace, or she's setting up a prank.

But I didn't_ care _about the twins anymore.

I _cared_ about Demetri. I had been fine, just seeing him at school, but he kept showing up. Hearing his voice and feeling his gaze brought back all of those old feelings. I thought I buried them a long time ago, but, apparently, I didn't.

I didn't tell Gwen this, of course. I hated how I sound when I talk about Demetri. In my eyes, I still see him as the Demetri I met when I was younger, but he's _the Demetri _to everyone else. There's not a soul in our school who doesn't know about him, which is annoying in some ways because I sound like one of those dumb girls who say they like Demetri just like they're so sure they'll end up with Justin Bieber! I'm not one of them. I just happen to be head-over-heels for Demetri.

Trying not to think about it, I sat down beside her on the couch, prepared to study French. I was never good at learning languages, but Eric was great at it. In a few years, I'll probably have forgotten all of this, but Eric will be able to carry on a conversation in French for decades. I began to wish Eric would hurry up. I didn't _need_ to see him or anything, but I _wished _he would show up.

"I know that the others are coming in soon. So, I want to tell you something…" Gwen bit her lip like she was ashamed.

"I'm here," the front door opened, and Eric walked through the front door. He was wearing the same blue tee shirt he had worn that morning, and his hair was still soaking wet from swim practice. His green eyes reminded me of two emeralds glistening in the sun, like they always had.

"You're late," Gwen told him, crisply as she crossed her arms. Eric simply nodded, hiding something behind the door.

"But I have pizza?" Eric brought out the Sal's Pizza box from the door like it was a prize on a game show, and, with how good it was, it could have been. In our friendship, there are things that make you forgive each other instantly.

And Sal's pizza tops the list.

"Peperoni?"

"Extra," Eric smiled, knowing all was well now. Gwen _loves_ the pizza. She has a really high metabolism so it barely shows, but she eats it all the time. Just last summer, when he opened up having delivery, she gained five pounds in the first month.

"All's forgiven," Gwen smiled, and Eric set the box down on the coffee table. I began to wonder if Kelli or Miranda had ever eaten this pizza. I mean, with how strict Dalia is, they may have never once enjoyed the greasy delight. While I was still thinking of that, Gwen opened the box and took out a slice of the New York style pizza, smiling at the stringy cheese.

"So, any run-ins with Prince Charming today?" Eric smirked as he sat beside me and picked up a slice for himself.

"Shut up," I took out my French book as if the thought were absurd. But I had. They were small, but I definitely remembered them. Other than this morning, I ran into him in the halls. While helping me pick up my books, he wished me good-luck with the big family dinner tonight, which his parents and Demetri were attending. Three hours later, I was walking to my first class after lunch when he stopped by me and asked what time the thing this night was. I answered and talked to him until I got to my class. Then, after school, as I was heading to my car to put up my books and grab my laptop, Miranda _smiled_ at me. It was all too weird.

I tried to tell myself that it was going to be a prank or something. Demetri wouldn't talk to me, and Miranda definitely wouldn't smile. But it didn't seem like that.

"Guys, our French Test is coming up, and I suck at it. Come on, help me," Gwen begged as she finished off her slice of pizza.

"In like _two weeks_," Eric corrected as he took out his book. All three of us were in the gifted classes, but Gwen was definitely _not_ gifted in French. I wouldn't be if it hadnt been for the rigorous studying Daniel and I did before he left. There were days were we could only talk in French, and if I got it right, I always got a reward. Even though he's back in France, his tutoring stuck to me.

I hadn't noticed the noise or anything, but soon enough four teenagers were standing at the doorway, looking at me. But a pair of blue eyes were the only ones I could focus on.

_**Next chapter is about the dad showing up, the family dinner, and so on. **_


	3. Chapter 3

I watched with envy as Kelli and Miranda hugged my father.

I had always been jealous of their relationship. Kelli and Miranda were the daughters that he was _supposed_ to have. I was my mother's daughter. I was meant to help her as she planned out how she was going to arrange her new store. I was meant to come along to the fashion shows, also wearing the full black and being proud for my mother. I didn't know how to be the little girl my dad wanted. He hadn't noticed it until Lisa, his partner's daughter, turned six. She was the perfect little girl, while I complained about why the princesses 'had' to marry a guy so they could have a happy life. Over time, she became normal-being the quite girl who stays out of the limelight, like her family also tries to do. But my dad runs it. He needs kids who run their school.

And that is the definition of Kelli and Miranda.

Plus, they barely know their dad. He lives in California, and Dalia can't stand the sight of him. That's why she moved here, taking just about everything he was worth. I don't know how Dalia and my father met, and I've never wanted to know. The only thing I remember is when my dad started missing times to see me. Then, he told me about a woman named Dalia Stepp. Then I met her, and, two weeks later, I met Miranda and Kelli. It didn't take long before he proposed.

My father basically adopted the twins when he married Dalia.

For a while, I had worried he forgot about me. And over the years, I didn't worry about that. I _knew_ it. This was the longest time I would have spent with my dad, and he wasn't even here the first day. Instead, he left me a lot of rules and sent me to the attic.

I could feel three pairs of eyes looking at me like I was some sob story, but I didn't take the time to see who it was. Instead, I continued to stand there, in the hallway where my dad would have to be blind not to see me. But he _was _blind when it came to me.

When Kelli and Miranda let go of my father, they spoke a few words and such, and I wanted to cry. Dad had never been a good subject of me, not since the day I watched my father have so much fun at his wedding with the Stepps without even noticing I wasn't with him.

Finally, after what felt like a lifetime, my father noticed me.

He was handsome for his age. His black hair was greying, and you could notice small wrinkles in his tan skin. If anything, he had aged wonderfully. His warm blue eyes looked at me, trying to fake a fatherly look, but I didn't buy it. Dad smiled, and I couldn't tell if it was fake or real.

"Oh, Ella, you look so much like your mother," he told me, and I didn't know if that was a compliment. He _had_ left her and married Dalia after all.

It took an awkward hug and the sweet words before I could finally get a chance on getting out of here.

"Dad," I made sure to call him that instead of Ethan like I sometimes did, "It's great to see you again. I have to get going though."

"Oh, but you'll be back by six for dinner," Dad knit his eyebrows.

That caught me off guard. I had always known how to make excuses that people will believe, but I hadn't planned on this one. Demetri had met all of us, but his mother is a good judge of character. She only wants the best for her son, and we all know that isn't Kelli. So, Mr. and Mrs. Prince are meeting us for the first time.

I began to wonder if my father had planned it so that I would be here for this. A united family would look good at such a meeting.

"Uh, I didn't really know I needed to be here for that," I wanted to add _"I'm not the one who's dating Demetri"_ but I didn't dare.

"I thought Dalia told you, Ella," Dad knit his eyebrows in a fake way.

He knew Dalia hadn't told me, and she hadn't told me for a very good reason. I was raised by two-more like one- lawyers. I knew how to get out of things, and I would have gotten away with it. I would have claimed to 'have' to do something that I had planned. Right now, my father had me cornered.

Somehow, I managed to get away. My father, leaving his suitcase in his car, went to his office to work on a few things. Demetri left, saying he'd be back for dinner. Miranda and Lance got in his car and drove off somewhere a long time ago. Eric's sister called him, saying that their father decided to suddenly bring up his new girlfriend for dinner, along with her twelve year old daughter. Sadie, who was at a friend's house, was not going to make it like to the dinner, like I hoped I wouldn't have to.

Gwen and I packed up our books and went to my room. We tried to study. We really did, but that's when Gwen turned on the plasma screen. We both started watching the show, forgetting about the books.

"Hey, what were you going to tell me earlier today?" I asked, taking my eyes off the screen for a little while. Gwen's, who had taken off her corset a little while ago, petite frame froze up. Her cheeks burned to the shade of her rose-colored hair. She began to toy with the bag on the floor to defuse the tension.

"I…I…" Gwen started.

It was then that I heard the creak of the door open. As a tall figure came up the stairs, I felt my heart beat louder and louder.

Demetri.

His olive skin was perfectly tanned, and his outfit reminded me of what Kelli might make him wear being a light blue polo and kakis. His bright blue eyes looked worried for whatever reasons. I suspected that he had fixed his hair from its usual messy way for this whole meeting. His six three frame almost hit the top of the doorway. It had been made for the short family, my father and I being the tallest. I was only 5'11. So, I never had Demetri's problem of hitting his head. Even though he was worried, he still reminded me of what a Greek god_ should _look like.

"I need your help," Demetri told me, his blue eyes pleading.

"You're early?" I pointed out. Dalia had come up here earlier, forcing at me an outfit that probably costs more than my parents would pay for my college. I slipped into it, and, just to be safe, Dalia handed Gwen a dress from my closet. Demetri nodded towards a nearby clock.

"Or late. What's going on? Kelli broke a heel or something?"

"You've met my mother before, and you know how she can be when she doesn't like someone. And she hates Kelli. But she _does_ like you. So,_ please_ help me," Demetri told me. I brushed off the two things I wanted to say (Why does your mother like me and just know I'm doing this for _you_, not _her_)

I looked over at Gwen, who was happy about not having to admit what she was about to tell me. As I looked at her, she reminded me of the Irish model that used to work for my mom until moving back to Scotland to get married. Gwen was always pretty, prettier than me for many years. She's never really noticed though. I honestly don't think she cares.

"Alright, come on. If anyone kills Kelli, I want it to be me," Gwen shrugged, making me smile. I slid off the bed, trying not to think of how I was going to spend like the next hour or so with Demetri and my annoying step-family. His smile grew, which I pretended not to notice.

As the three of us went down the stairs, it was pretty quiet. Gwen was trying to make the dress not look like it was made for a girl six inches taller than her. I was too busy trying not to make a fool of myself, and Demetri was probably thinking about Kelli.

"So, why does your mom hate her?" I finally asked.

Demetri paused for a moment as he closed the bedroom door behind him and began to walk through the hallway to the back stairs-which led straight into the kitchen.

"I don't know. She usually likes the girls I date. But Mom just doesn't like her for some stupid reason," Demetri proceeded down the stairs without another word or even a glance in my direction.

The kitchen looked spotless with pans-in case someone needed more food- sitting out. No one was in there, which meant this confrontation was going on in the living room, and that is the _worst_ spot for a confrontation in this entire house. I should know.

Demetri slowed down his pace to where Gwen and I were almost beside him so we could make the entrance that was necessary for breaking up this moment. Three of walked in to the room, getting immediate attention. My father and Demetri's father were no doubt talking about a case, and Dalia was trying to make Kelli and Athena get along. Miranda simply looked at Demetri with relief, like she had come up with the idea or something. I definitely _didn't _like that.

Kelli looked like I knew she would. Her pale-pink nails matched her lip color perfectly. The dress she was wearing was one I knew was a Roule original, an old designer-about seventy- whose son my mom dated for a while. It was no question that she got it from Dalia's closet because of just how hard it was to get that dress. Her heels were Prada, and her auburn hair was fashioned in a perfect blowout.

She was trying to look sweet, but she had definitely failed miserably.

Athena was an aging beauty who was taking her age gracefully. Her black hair went to her shoulders in a sophisticated, no-nonsense way. She had opted to wear something less noticeable by wearing a simple pantsuit with a silk button-up blouse underneath. Athena was a co-owner of a publishing company. The other owner is the face of the company, but she is the one who runs it. Slight wrinkles were setting into her olive skin, but she was still beautiful.

Athena's critical gaze left Kelli, to the anger of Kelli, to look at me.

"Ella," her voice was warm, and her Greek accent was hidden underneath in a sweet way.

"Mrs. Prince," I smiled. Her high heeled walk came towards me, and I noticed that she smelled of Chanel number five, which smelled a million times better than the Justin Bieber perfume Kelli loved to wear.

"It's wonderful to see you," Athena hugged me, which also managed to make Kelli mad.

"It's been so long," I smiled, not knowing just how long it had been. All I knew was that it had been a long time.

"Demetri," Athena smiled without looking away from me, "Why couldn't you get a good girl like Ella here?"

"Mom," Demetri warned her, and she simply waved him off like only a mother could.

"I know. I know," Athena told him before turning her attention back to me, "He's _just_ like his father."

She smiled at me as if it were a personal joke, which just made me smile. I had always liked Mrs. Prince. It used to be just liking how she always treated me like a person, not just a kid. Then, it was clear for a while that she disapproved of my father remarrying to Dalia so early. The two seemed to be getting along, so I guess she got over it. But it was still nice to know.

"Lovely to meet you," Athena smiled, pausing for Gwen to introduce herself.

"Gwen Brandon, but I'm afraid I will have to be going," Gwen answered.

"Well, wonderful to meet you, Gwen Brandon, and I wish you could stay" Athena smiled at the two of us. Her smile fell as she looked at Kelli with distain. I knew why I didn't like her, but I didn't know why Athena didn't like her.

"Shall we eat? I'm famished," Dalia tried to break up the tension.

_**XXXXX**_

"So, Kelli, which colleges have you applied to?" Athena asked as she took a sip of a glass of water. Kelli looked up with surprise, not really knowing what to say.

"Well, I've applied to a lot of schools," which I might mention were _all_ party schools, "but I really hope for UCLA."

"What do you plan to study?"

Kelli bit her Chanel pink lipstick-covered lip before answering.

"Fashion and Merchandising."

Athena nodded, sharing a look with her son. Before he could say anything, Mrs. Prince looked towards me.

"What about you, Ella?"

"I hope to study Journalism," I answered, wishing she wouldn't keep looking at me then shifting her gaze to Demetri, like she had been doing for a while now.

"I was a journalist for many years. You'll love it," Athena smiled at me with approval in her brown eyes. My father was still talking to Mr. Prince about a case, and Dalia had tried to talk to Mrs. Prince. But it was obvious Athena was not interested in comparing Gucci to Prada. Miranda was just eating, trying to stay out of all of it.

"Where do you want to study this at?" Athena asked, not giving up on this.

"Well, I sent my application to a lot of schools, but I've wanted to go to Princeton for years," I answered. This made Athena smile.

"That's Demetri's top school. Isn't it, Demetri?" Athena asked, and Demetri simply nodded. Kelli glared at him, which gave Athena smug satisfaction.

"Well, I am sure Princeton will love you, especially with helping your mom run such a successful business. That's like college application gold," Athena paused, "How is your mother? I haven't seen her in forever."

Athena and my mom had been friends. In fact, it was the two of them who really talked the guys into working together. When we were kids, they always joked that Demetri and I would end up together. They had stayed in touch after the divorce, but my mom has been insanely busy with work recently. So, all of her friends have been saying "Oh, Ella, how's your mother?"

"She's doing great, but work has just been so busy for her," I answered, wondering what she would be doing by this time. The last time I talked to her was when she was soaking in the warm Spanish sun with Eric's mom, another one of mom's friends, with a nice Cosmo and an adorable lifeguard nearby. It was hard to think of her by a beach, having meetings on the terrace of some wonderful restaurant, or catching a train to Milan for a shopping trip while I was stuck here in the cold February weather.

"Spain is lovely this time of year. She must be enjoying herself," Athena smiled a friendly smile as she tried to ignore Kelli, "Have you been?"

Not this time of year, but I had been. The last time I went was last summer. My mom took me, and Eric's mom, who works with my mom, brought Eric. The four of us went through Europe, enjoying the best it had to offer. When we reached Spain, my mom had to sneak in some work in Milan for the two weeks we were spending there. Eric and I stayed there for a few days before heading down by the coast. We went to every museum until our feet hurt. Then we went back to the ocean, diving straight in.

"Yes, I went on a tour through Europe last summer with her and my best friend."

"Oh, that sounds delightful. This summer we plan on taking Demetri on a tour through of Europe. What are you going to be doing this summer?" Athena asked, and I noticed that Kelli was burning through the corner of my eye.

"My mom and my friend's mom made a deal. If we all make A's in French this year, they'll take us on a tour of France this summer," I answered.

"You're good at French?" Mrs. Prince looked at me as if I were her saving grace.

"Well, sort of," I told her, not really sure what was going on. Demetri paused in his conversation to look at his mother with an 'Oh-My-God!' face.

"Would you be willing to tutor Demetri?"

I didn't have a chance to say anything before Kelli objected.

"_Mrs. Prince_," Kelli said it as if she were ninety, "Demetri is _already_ in _our_ study group," she spoke 'as-a-matter-of-fact'ly, and even I thought it was annoying.

"Well, _Kelli Stepp_," Athena countered, "Demetri's grades have not gotten higher in _your study group_, and I believe that Ella will be able to help him." Athena left 'And you can't' but even she could see it was in there.

"Don't you agree, Demetri?" Athena asked, her voice cold. Demetri began to stutter out an 'I guess', and Athena smiled with the satisfaction of winning.

"So, Ella, will you help him?"

I felt like I had when Dalia put me on the spot of who I wanted to live with five years ago when both of my parents were nearby. I didn't know what to say. I wanted to be around Demetri, but he was my step-sister's boyfriend. That's just wrong.

But I just couldn't manage to say no to Athena.

"A…alright," I nodded, making Athena smile and Kelli glare at me. I simply looked at Demetri who had the same face he had when he looked out of that window at me driving away with Eric.

_**XXXXX**_

The adults were enjoying a nice drink in the living room, which I was definitely craving. Kelli was in there, too, smoozing up a storm. Miranda ditched, of course, thirty minutes ago with a claim that one of her friends needed her to pick her up or something. Either way, she's not here. I had left the hell-room a few moments ago with a call from Eric.

"So, what do you think of your dad's girlfriend?" I pulled myself up on the marble countertop.

"She's okay, I guess. I don't see her sticking around though. So, it doesn't matter much anyway. What about the big family meeting with the Princes?" Eric's voice sounded hollow over the cell phone carrier. I could imagine him typing on his laptop for homework he always postpones until last minute.

"Long story short, I'm now tutoring Demetri," I shrugged, twisting myself to where I was staring out the window.

"How'd that happen?"

"I really don't know, Eric," I bit my lip, not wanting to go into it.

"Well, you tutoring Prince Charming. You know, I remember the days where you wouldn't even look at the guy. Where's my Ella who believed that guys like him were over-rated?"

"Call me _your_ Ella again and I'll give you the Disney Princess speech again," I growled.

"Hey, wanna come over? I have over-buttered popcorn and Vampires Suck," Eric did that 'Sales-Person' voice I loved to make fun of. Just hearing it made me smile.

"While I would love to watch a spoof about teenage vampires and their annoying lovers, I think I have to stick around here. Rain-check?"

"Deal-o-Rama," Eric smirked.

"Call me tomorrow?"

"Deal-o-Rama," Eric continued. I tried not to smile, but I ended up snickering.

"Shut up, _Erica_."

"Likewise, _Ethan_."

"You're evil," I warned him, "Gotta go."

"Latuh, Elluh," Eric hung up the phone, and I put mine back down on the marble countertop before turning myself back to the kitchen doorway. I was about to get off and make an excuse to go to my room or something when the door opened.

Demetri was looking his adorable self as usual. For once, I didn't blush. That was good I guess. I needed to stop with that as I have to now tutor him in French. He poured himself some soda into the cup he had brought in, and I didn't know what to say.

"I'm sorry about my mom putting you on the spot. She kind of does that a lot. It's so weird though. She just loves you," Demetri shook his head like it was some big mystery.

"Oh like it's that hard to love me," I crossed my arms, and he shook his head with a laugh again.

"Definitely the same Ella I used to know," he took a sip of his drink.

"I didn't even know you remembered me," I shrugged.

"You're kidding, right?" Demetri took another sip of that liquid, and I started to notice a weird smell.

"Why do you smell like '_Someday'_, that _Justin Bieber_ perfume?"

Demetri knit his eyebrows as he sniffed at his shirt and recoiled at the smell. I actually loved the smell, but the fact that it was produced by 'Justin Bieber' just ruined it. Demetri almost started choking at the thought of smelling like _Someday_.

"You _had _to tell me that?" Demetri tried not to smile, but the spark in his blue eyes gave him away. I couldn't hold back a smile as I tried to think of something to say to him. I liked it not having to say anything for some weird reason.

"Can I make it up with pizza?" I smiled.

"Tomorrow after school?"

"I thought you had basketball practice."

"Well, that isn't on Wednesdays and Tuesdays. I just don't want to have to help Kelli with Math on those days when we all know she doesn't care," Demetri shrugged. I took a deep breath, knowing I was going to regret what I said next.

"What do you see in her? I mean, maybe it's just how I see her as a back-stabbing step sister who poured a flute of Champaign on me on my dad's wedding day, but I just don't see _why_ you're with her," I awaited his answer, not really sure what I was hoping for.

"She's not _always _like that, you know. Kelli can be really great," Demetri tried but I didn't buy it. I began to hope that Demetri wasn't mentally adding '_in bed' _to that sentence. I simply shrugged.

"Anyway, that Italian place downtown-"

"_Sal's."_

"At four tomorrow?"

"Sure," I nodded with a smile, and his smile widened.

"Demetri?" Kelli called out, making me cringe.

"I better get going," Demetri nodded towards the doorway. I simply nodded towards him.

"Good luck," I cooed.


	4. Chapter 4

"Come on. Drink the soda," Gwen shoved the drink at me again. She had been doing that all morning.

I had woken up to the sound of Justin Bieber's latest hit being played at the highest the stereo would go. Immediately, I jumped out of bed and slid into a red hoodie dress and a pair of knee high converse. I wasn't in the mood to have a run in with Kelli nor Miranda. So, I basically ran out the door, ignoring the delicious breakfast Dalia was cooking up for my dad, which was a refreshing change from them _never_ eating. I picked up a some food from a drive-through, but it had only filled my stomach instead of giving me energy. I hadn't heard from Eric, and that was weird when you knew him. When I finally came to school, Gwen was already there, being an early riser and all. We went to the lunch tables outside where all of the 'popular' kids sat, not that we were in _any_ way like them. As usual, she had just come through a drive-through bringing two extra-large sodas along with her.

I had tried to keep myself awake. I really had, but I gave up after a short while. Instead, I slammed my head on the table and stayed like that, trying to go to sleep.

Lazily, I opened my eyes and cringed at the sudden light. It was a nice Spring day, preparing to have simply perfect Valentine's day. I couldn't remember any Valentine's day where I had done anything romantic. I usually didn't have a boyfriend at that time, and, if I did, we simply stayed home with popcorn and a movie. The truth was that I never really wanted a romantic valentines day, but I did wish I had one at least once before I left high school. But it was too late by now.

"Fine," I sipped on the soda- Dr. Pepper as I soon found out-, and pushed back my hoodie back to see the rest of everything. A few overachievers were already here. The dance committee was putting up posters for the dance happening soon, and Eric was supposed to be here earlier as he always tries to sneak in a swim before class. The basketball team would be here soon, and I didn't even want to think about the dance team or Cheerleading.

It was about that time that the basketball team came onto the property. Infact, they all strode in as a group, looking like something that should be in a teen romantic comedy. As usual, Demetri was at the front. He was team captain, of course, and he was definitely one of the best looking.

"I've got to give you credit, Ella. He _is_ hot," Gwen continued to look at him like I was. I forced my attention to her once I realized I was staring at Demetri.

"Not this again, Gwen," I told her, trying my hardest not to look back at Demetri. It was harder than it sounds, by the way.

"Oh come on. It's pretty obvious you're still head over heels for him," Gwen sipped at her Dr. Pepper.

"It can't work out," I reasoned.

"Why? You could break him away from his girlfriend. I mean, you're pretty hot. You just need to really work at it, and he'd forget all out your sister-"

"_Step_-sister," I growled. I hated when people screwed that up.

We _don't_ act the same.

We _don't_ look the same.

We _don't_ get along in any way.

We're _not _sisters.

"_Details. Details_. Anyway, just show some more skin and-"

"Stop," I cut her off, and Gwen rolled her eyes like '_Fine_. Be that way.'

I watched out of the corner of my eye as the basketball team sat down at another table and did whatever they do. I could feel Demetri's gaze, and I bit my tongue so I wouldn't look back to make sure.

"Where's Eric?" Gwen checked at her lucky lime green watch, "He should be here by now."

I simply shrugged. This morning, I woke up to see his blinds up and him out of bed. The Corvette was still in his driveway, and I had no clue what was going on. I tried not to think about it though. Instead, I just went straight to my car, not doing a thing to see what was going on.

"It's only seven thirty or so," I told her. Usually, he was here insanely early. Eric would dive straight into the chlorine enriched pool and swim ten laps before getting out. His hair doesn't take long to dry. So, he's fine by class.

It was at that precise moment that I saw my two step-sisters.

Miranda was wearing a 'Bull-Frogs Cheer Team!' tee shirt underneath Lance's football jacket. Her hair was perfectly styled to where you would think she got it professionally straightened this morning. Even far away, I could hear her high heels clack on the concrete. Forever 21 jeans hugged her size four body, and she looked great. On her shoulder, she managed to carry a huge cheer duffle effortlessly, and her Gucci messenger bag hung on her other shoulder.

Beside her, Kelli had completely transformed from a sweaty tank top and grey short shorts. Her outfit consisted of a Ralf Lauren lilac v-neck blouse. The top was like Snow white, and her black mini was the poison apple. Kate Middleton boots went to her knee, and she had on a diamond necklace fresh from Tiffanies. Kelli's wavy blonde hair went to her chest and ended there, reminding me of how I had always wanted my hair to look like. Everything about her was beautiful, except for the cold stare she gave me.

I hadn't noticed the rest of the cheerleading team claim a table nearby the Basketball team's table, but there they were. Miranda went straight towards them, barely even looking at me on the way. That's how I like it. They pretend they don't know me. I pretend I don't know them. It's the circle of life.

But Kelli wasn't keeping up her end of the deal.

Instead, she was making her way towards me, one slow step at a time. Maybe it was just me, but her walk seemed to be going to the beat of 'I Feel Like Dancin' tonight by All Time Low. I didn't say anything as Kelli finally made it to my table, crossing her arms.

"Hello, Ella," her voice was cold and cruel, like one of those bullies in Middle School.

"Hi, Kelli," I managed to keep my tone at my usual voice as I acknowledged her.

"Listen, we need to talk about the whole tutoring Demetri thing. I know you don't want to be mean or anything. So, I'll tell him you're quitting for you-"

"I'm not quitting," I cut her off. Kelli was astonished that I did so, but she pulled herself together to narrow her eyes.

"What do you mean by _you're not quiting?_"

"It means, I worked it out with Demetri, and I'm going to try to help him," I answered in the same monotone as before.

"I don't think you get it. I don't want you tutoring _my boyfriend_. We were doing just fine before _Mrs. Prince_ had you do this," Kelli told me indignantly.

"_Mrs. Prince_ didn't think so."

This made Kelli steam.

"Well, we _were._ And you're not going to ruin that. I don't want you _anywhere_ near_ my _boyfriend," Kelli growled. She reminded me of the lions my dad would take me to see at the zoo when I was kid. Except she was out in the open. The lion was safely put away in a cage.

"Demetri seemed just fine with it," I let a little bit of "Ha-Ha! Stole your boyfriend" seep into my voice even though I hadn't stolen her boyfriend. I was just in love with him without the perks of actually dating him.

Kelli almost laughed at the thought of me taking away her boyfriend.

"You do know he'd never leave _me for you_. I mean, think about it. Why would he want _you_ when he could have _me_? Stop kidding yourself," Kelli sneered, and this was the one insult that got to me.

She was right. Why would he want _me_? He could just as easily have her. I felt like Rachel in Something Borrowed, but I had a feeling that I wasn't going to get my dream happy ending any time soon.

"_I_ was just going to help him study. _You're_ the one who was thinking about _that_," I smirked, faking confidence I definitely didn't have.

"Whatever. Help him or don't help him. But he _is_ mine," Kelli turned around, heading straight for him. It was a relief to have her gone, but this wasn't over. She was going to do something bad to make me so upset that I could puke, and I had a feeling what it was.

Kelli went straight to Demetri in a flirty way that made me want to scream 'Tramp!', but I wanted to scream it anyway. So her walk didn't much matter. Demetri smiled at her, making me frown. The truth was his smile could light up the world, but this time it made the world feel a little dreary. The rest of the basketball team whistled at Kelli, and she just waved them off with a smile. She loved it. I knew she did. Finally, she sat down in Demetri's lap and pulled him into a long kiss.

"Still don't want to steal him away from her?" Gwen asked, watching the scene infront of us.

I couldn't look away, and I didn't say anything. Once she was done trying to make me mad, she looked back at me with a look that said "Kiss my perfectly toned ass"

"Wow, Kelli has reached a new level of bitch," Gwen spoke before I could, not that I was going to anyway.

"Big time," I mumbled.

"I don't even like him, but I want to steal him from her perfectly manicured, Tiffanies decked out fingertips," Gwen didn't take her eyes away from Kelli or the Basketball team table.

"Imagine how I feel," I finally looked away them towards Gwen. Gwen smiled at that, and I began to really think about taking him away from him.

Images of it all going down filled my head.

Demetri smiling at me and opening up to me about how his relationship was breaking down. Me nodding sympathetically and realizing by the look in his eyes that he had fallen for me. Finally, we would find ourselves close to each other. It wouldn't take long until his lips would crash onto mine, and I would kiss back. Demetri would break up with Kelli, and we would keep us a secret for a while. Everything about it would be amazing. I'd leave hints about dating him for a while, and finally Demetri and I would come out in the open. Kelli would be angry but mostly amazed. My father would take my side in it, being secretly proud at how well I stole Demetri. Demetri and I would then proceed to go to Princeton together, and we would stay in total love.

I was broken out of the trance by the sight of Eric walking through the quad. He had everyone's attention, but he didn't care. I knew him well enough to know that Eric was angry and frustrated. His sea green eyes reminded me of a lake during a terrible storm. There was something about him, too. It was like a warning to stay very, very far away from him. On some deep level, even I was scared of whatever went wrong.

Eric put his book bag on the table with a thump, and he sat down the same way. He didn't say anything. Instead, he put his head in his hands. I didn't know what to say. Even Gwen knew not to try to tease him or anything, and she _always_ teases him when he comes in with wet hair.

It was kinda depressing.

"You okay, Eric?" Gwen didn't say it in a funny way. She didn't laugh. She didn't smirk. She didn't get mad.

She just spoke, which meant this was really dire.

"Do I _look_ like I'm _okay_?" Eric looked up with daggers in his eyes. I shrank back without saying anything. Eric mumbled something under his breath and got up again, taking his bag with him as he stomped away.

"What bitch bit him?" Gwen mumbled under her breath. I got up from table and looked towards where he was going.

"I'll get him," I told her, and Gwen nodded halfheartedly. I left my bag there, thinking it wouldn't take too long. It didn't usually. But this time didn't seem normal. This wasn't going to be about a fight with his dad or something. This one was serious.

I kept walking, silently thanking God that I didn't have too many people's attention. But then Kelli looked at me. And, like they always do, everyone shifted their attention towards me. Sure, it made me uncomfortable, but I showed no sign as to it. Instead, I just kept walking, even past Demetri.

I began to think of Demetri yesterday. Instead of focusing on our conversation after dinner, I went back to Mrs. Prince asking me to tutor him. His face. What was that face? And why did he keep making it? It was the same as the day I went off with Eric when I got to Dad's house. It was unreadable. I had no idea what to do, and I _hated_ that.

"Ella," Kelli's voice made me stop in my tracks. I clenched my fist and spun around.

"What, Kelli?" I intentionally sounded bored and annoyed, because I _was._

"When are you getting home? I need you to watch Sadie for me," Kelli didn't give me much of a choice on if I wanted to babysit our little half-sister. I hated when she brought Sadie into our fights. Sadie's a good kid.

Kelli is the _opposite._

"I'm busy. Have Miranda do it," I answered, crossing my arms and impatiently tapping my foot. With every second, Eric was getting farther away.

"You're _busy_? You're _never _busy," Kelli said it as if I were a leper in Biblical days.

"Well, I am today. So, have someone else do it," I started to turn around when Kelli stopped me again.

"What's keeping you _busy _today?"

"Kelli," I told her, getting impatient, "Can we just go back to where we pretended we had no clue who the hell each other were?"

"Mom wanted me to be nice to you," Kelli narrowed her hazel eyes.

"And I _don't_. So, can I go now?"

"_Go_," her eyes remained narrow as she growled at me. I simply smiled, happy to know that I could leave. Without another thought to it, I continued to walk away.

So far, today I've spoken more to Kelli than I have in all of our conversations in a year put together. I didn't understand why she was suddenly so cruel to me. It's not like Demetri likes me or anything. So, my crush is nothing. I don't threaten her in any way I can think of.

So, what is it with us?

Miranda and I used to the ones who hated each other, but we're fine. Now, Kelli and I can't stand each other. No one can come up with a reason though.

I pushed open the doors that had been unlocked by the teachers a little while ago and started heading towards the swimming pool. That's where he always goes. The door was always locked by the coach at night, but Eric has a key as he is the captain of the team. Eric loves to abuse that power and come in here when he needs to think. Usually, he doesn't do anything too bad, but, if it comes down to it, he might skip class for it if he wants.

It was unlocked. So, I pushed the door open and made my way inside.

There Eric was.

His hair was still wet, but he hadn't changed out of his jeans and Swim Jacket. Instead, he was sitting on the bleachers with his bag on the floor. His head was in his hands, and I've got to admit that he was pretty cute. His tan skin looked beach-fresh, and he had the perfect swimmer's body. Eric's green eyes were deep and soulful, reminding me that he actually was attractive even if I didn't always see it.

"You kind of just ran away," I pointed out as I walked towards him. My shoes squeaked on the slightly wet linoleum floors. It always seemed to be wet in here. _Always_. Eric had always loved that. He said it was something he could count on when the rest of his life was unpredictable. I thought it was a falling hazard.

"Yeah," Eric nodded, out of his mean ass funk he had been in earlier. I took that as a good sign and sat down beside him. He kept staring at the heavily chemically altered water. The smell made me a little sick, but I ignored it.

"What's up?" I asked, and Eric looked up at me. I guess he realized that he had told me everything his entire life. So, why stop now? Eric forced his gaze back to the water.

"I'm a senior. My parents got divorced over a decade ago. My mom's boyfriend is about to propose, and I'm happy about that. She deserves to be happy," Eric told me.

This was all stuff I knew. Eric hadn't been insanely excited when he found out, but he was happy. The boyfriend, Wren, had been dating his mom for about seven years. He has a son, Marcus, who is a year older than the two of us. Marcus has been like a big brother to both Eric and his sister. Wren had been waiting to propose because Eric's mom being a little commitment scared. Eric's dad was a habitual cheater, and he kept his Casanova ways even after the divorce.

I nodded to Eric to tell him to continue.

"You know my dad. He loves being a player. He has a new girl before you can even remember the old one's name. So, we met this one, Cheryl. She has a daughter, Casey. They were fine. But I didn't think they'd last. This is the kind of girl that my dad just gets over," Eric continued. He had also told me this last night.

I didn't understand what was wrong yet, but it was normal for his dad to be in the center of it.

"But…" Eric took a deep breath, "My dad claimed we needed some family time or whatever. My sister and I went outside, and he started up the fire in the little fire place thing. And just told me. It was exactly like how he told me that our custody thing when my mom took us to leave him and how we would see him for a little while was going to be permanent because they were getting a divorce. He just told me…"

I knew what Eric was going to say. I had been the same way when it happened to me.

"He's going to marry her, Ella," he looked at him like he could have cried.

"Oh my god."

Eric nodded and stared out at the water.

"Is she…?" I waited a moment to finish that.

"I asked if she was pregnant, too. He just laughed. So, no clue," Eric shook his head. I knew his dad well enough to know that it would be most likely if he got married if the woman pregnant.

I didn't know how to continue. His dad was getting married? Eric's dad doesn't get remarried. He cheated on his first wife. So, why would marry another? This didn't make sense.

"I was happy my parents got divorced. The truth was that they weren't happy together. I know that, and I don't want them to be unhappy, but…" Eric trailed off.

"It brought back those awful feelings you had when your parents got divorced?" I asked, and Eric nodded. I hated how I felt when Ethan (I call dad by his first name when I'm not near him) proposed to Dalia. I felt like that ten year old girl who locked herself in her room while crying, that little girl who had to pack all of her stuff up because she was moving away from her dad. I didn't like being that girl. I liked being the girl who met her mom's new boyfriends who were undoubtedly handsome enough to be a celebrity. Some even were. But walking down the aisle with my two new soon-to-be step-sisters, Kelli and Miranda, was just hell.

"But I'm not five years old. I'm _eighteen_," Eric told me. I nodded.

"I know," I replied.

"Yeah, we better get back to Gwen," Eric told me out of nowhere. I didn't show that I was definitely confused, but, even if I did, he wouldn't have noticed.

"Alright," I shrugged.

_**XXXXXXXX**_

"So, are you going to the Valentines dance?" Demetri asked as he took another bite of pizza. I shook my head without looking away from my French Book. We had opted to sit outside, which felt like a mistake. Inside, it was as hot like an oven, but it would be way more comfortable than this.

Demetri and I ate.

Demetri and I talked.

Demetri and I are now studying.

It's going how it was supposed to go, which was a little disappointing. Kelli acted like we planned on hooking up in the bathroom or something, but this was how I knew it was going to go. If anything, it was a miracle he still remembered me. But Gwen had a point this morning, even if I didn't want to admit it. I had been trying to keep my mind off trying to steal him, but it was hard.

It would be impossible to do, right?

"Why not?" Demetri asked. I looked up from my book, giving up.

"Why should I? I had planned on going to the dance with Daniel, but his dad had him come a semester early. So no date. I don't really like dances, and it's not like many of my friends are going," I shrugged.

"Shouldn't stop you," Demetri took another bite of the New York style pizza.

"What about you?" I asked and took another sip of the soda.

"Yeah I'm goin', Kelli is in the running to be the Valentines Queen. She'd kill me if I missed it," Demetri nodded.

"Think she'll win?" I asked. He looked up at me like it was joke.

"Let me see. She's blonde, a senior, hot, and captain of the dance think. Do you think she _won't_ win?" Demetri cocked an eyebrow. He had a point. While I didn't take it well when he said she was hot, he _was _right. There are dances where the student body picks someone we actually like, but Valentines isn't one of them.

"So, are you on the ballot for king?" I asked, forcing my attention to my French book.

"_Seriously_? You think I'm running for _Valentines King_?" he almost laughed.

"What? You ran for Homecoming King," I pointed out. He won, and Kelli lost. It was a great moment for me, actually.

"Yes, because that is kind of cool, but there is no way in _hell_ I am going to run for _Valentines King_," Demetri smiled, making my insides turn to mush.

"It was just a question," I smiled in defense. I didn't know what it was about him that always made me smile, but it was definitely there. It wasn't necessary having a crush on him, but I think it was intrigue. I liked to be around him. Demetri always seemed to have a trick up his sleeve, including the big trick of making me fall for him.

"Are you running?"

"Not funny, Demetri," I shook my head.

"No, seriously. I mean, you _could_ pull it off. So, why don't you?" Demetri asked. I ignored how he had, in a weird way, complimented me.

"It's not me," I shrugged, staring down at the book.

"I think it is, but you don't want to admit it," Demetri wasn't going to let this go.

"If I don't want to admit it, then doesn't that prove that it _isn't_ me," I argued.

"Not true," Demetri shook his head and reassessed me. I was still wearing the red hoodie dress which had earned me the nickname "Red Riding Hood" by Gwen. My hair had been tied up in a ponytail, and I retouched my make-up earlier before I came. I knew I wouldn't look as good as his girlfriend did, but I _did _like him looking at me.

"Alright, explain to me why you think I am into winning titles," I forced my eyes to Demetri's blue. I lost my train of thought for a moment or two.

"I don't know. I just think that you don't give yourself enough credit, Ella," Demetri shrugged, looking down at his French book, probably pretending that he was going to actually _study _when that had been the _last _thing on his mind this entire time.

"Finally deciding to study, Demetri?" I asked with my arms crossed.

"Don't call me that. I call you by your nick name instead of that really long name you were born with. So, don't call me Demetri," Demetri didn't look up at me.

"Well, _what _should I call you?"

"Demi," Demetri answered.

"I thought Demi was a girl's name," I knit my eyebrows.

"I like being called Demi," Demetri shrugged.

"Alright, _Demi_, I'll call you _Demi_," I shrugged.

"Just don't call me that infront of Kelli," Demetri warned me. This got my attention.

"_Why_?"

Demetri bit his lower lip.

"Kelli hates it when people call me Demi. She thinks that Demetri is too good of a name to be ignored," he shrugged, reminding me way too much of Eric. He had needed some time alone. So, Gwen and I sent him home with a bottle of rum, his favorite. I knew his sister would leave him alone, as would his dad. So, he'd be good for swimming and downing a drink in his room for hours.

"It _is_ a nice name, but that insane," I shook my head. I wonder why Kelli does all this. Is it just to be a bitch or is this just her?

Or is being her being a bitch?

It was about that time I noticed Demetri was pretty much staring at me. I looked behind me for a second before turning back around. Still staring. I met his gaze with a hesitance.

"What?" I smiled sheepishly.

"Nothing. Nothing. You're just a lot like your mom," Demetri smiled as if it was a compliment, but it wasn't.

"I wish people stop saying that," I grumbled. Demetri looked at me with surprise as if I had just said "I wish my father would stop giving me an unlimited Amex", not that my dad did or anything. No, those were saved for Kelli and Miranda.

"That's a compliment. Your mom is the owner of one of the most successful companies in the world," Demetri-er, Demi- smiled. In his mind, it actually was a compliment. In mine, it was a terrible jinx.

"That's the whole story," I countered, not sure if I wanted to go into it all. I wasn't sure if he had heard my parent's story. His parents had a widely known story that little girls fanaticized about happening to them. Their story was happy and romantic. My parents were depressing.

"Then tell me whole story," he countered. There is something in his eyes. It wasn't just a dare. He _actually _wanted me to tell him. My ex, who I had thought was one of the best guys I would ever date, Daniel, hadn't asked for months. His parents had an unhappy marriage.

His dad was a politician, known for his dirty tactics. Daniel hated his father more than anything, and he loved his wonderful mother. This was something we had in common. I didn't want to talk about my dad. He didn't want to talk about his. Finally, when we realized that we truly trusted and loved each other, we confessed. I told him the story about my parents. He told me about his parents.

But Demetri didn't know what it was like. His parents were more in love than ever, and his dad is an all-around great guy. He's never had to grow up without a parent, but there was something about him. I knew he wouldn't judge me when I announced what had happened. He would accept it, and I wanted that.

"My mom fell in love with a guy in college. She did everything she could to be with him because life without him was unimaginable. They graduated and both got into the same law school, but she didn't want to be a lawyer. She wanted to be a designer. But she loved this guy. So, she turned down a NYU partnership and followed him to law school. Years later, they were married with a daughter. My mom told me that she never regretted her decision to follow my dad. She went on for years thinking she made the right choice. She didn't know there was anything wrong in her relationship until one day her husband of fourteen years tells her that he wants a divorce. And everyone sees her now and thinks she's so lucky…" I paused, "But she loved my dad. And he didn't care. He just filed for divorce and went off looking for another woman. My mom had just gone on her first date since the divorce when my dad married Dalia. She may have a business that she loves, but she wakes up each day, knowing that someone else is waking up beside the man she loved."

I hadn't known I had a speech prepared, but there it was.

Demetri paused to think it all over. It was interesting story, and the look on his face told me that he had never heard it until day.

"Kelli told me that your mom filed for divorce and that it was a while before Dalia and your dad got together," he shook his head. I began to wonder when he would ask such questions. Did he ask about me periodically or did this all come up another way? I couldn't see how it could, but you never know with Kelli.

"Kelli lied," I shrugged, not feeling bad about trashing his girlfriend in front of him. Demetri waited before continuing, as if trying to figure out if he wanted to ask me something or not.

"Why did Kelli come talk to you this morning and then come up to me and kiss me?"

"Um, she talked to me because she didn't want me tutoring you. For the second, I guess she just wanted to kiss her boyfriend," I shrugged like I didn't know. But I did know. She knew how I felt about him, and she knew that she had him. I didn't know if she loved him, but I did know she loved knowing that _I_ loved him and_ she_ had him.

Demetri nodded like it made sense.

He was about to say something, but we were getting too deep. Any deeper and I'd confess how I felt about him.

"So, we should probably study, right?" I smiled innocently. Demetri snapped out of thinking about all that and sat up straighter to study. He smiled sheepishly and nodded.


	5. Chapter 5

I looked at Demetri, who sat cross-legged across from me Indian style. He watched my every move with interest, but it wasn't in that creepy way or anything. I was doing the same. We had come in his room an hour ago to study after his sister needed to use the living room for something with PSAT.

So, we came up here. We tried to study. We really did, but, as it's been happening for the last week I've been helping him, we ended up forgetting French and talking. So, here we were again.

At first, we had been uncomfortable. I mean, I was clearly head-over-heels for him and in his _room_. But it got easier until finally, we were fine with it.

"Too bad you're not going to the dance. All of my friends will be busy. I'll end up drinking lame, un-spiked punch while Kelli smoozes all the coters," Demetri sighed, making me smile a little.

"I have plans," I shrugged, not mentioning how my plans were just hanging out with Eric.

"_Plans_? Little Daniel has been replaced?" he smirked, making me want to blush or hit him. The truth was that Daniel _had been_ replaced but not by Eric. It was by Demetri. I just simply rolled my eyes.

"My _'plans'_ are watching some spoof with Eric and eating so much junkfood that I get sick because I am sick and tired of eating low fat chocolate yogurt when I want chocolate," I sighed, remembering what it was like to actually_ eat_. Dalia only kept real food around for Sadie, but it isn't enough that I could actually be okay with it.

"You're spending your _Valentine's Day_ by watching a movie with your friend?"

"This is what single people do, Demetri. Have you _ever_ not had a girlfriend on Valentine's Day?" I crossed my arms, trying not to think of how he wasn't just with someone but he was with _Kelli_. It was still hard to think of them together. I mean, he's great. Perfect, honestly, and she's evil in the form of a size two model-like teenage girl.

"Does before seven count?"

"No."

Demetri tried to think. He had always been perfect, even more so year by year until he was a girl's dream come true. I tried to think back to a time where he hadnt been attractive, but it was in vain. There wasn't a time. He was an adorable baby. An adorable toddler. A cute kid. And a handsome young man. Even when he was thirteen and _no one _looked good, his blue eyes were brilliant and electric. His hair was perfectly cropped. He was showing signs of a future athletic figure. And he was on the soccer team, which was of course the coolest thing a guy could do back in middle school.

"I got one!" Demetri smiled as if it were an accomplishment, "Two years ago. I just broke up with my girlfriend."

"That's _it_?" I could name years and years as to what happened.

Thirteen- not allowed to date.

Fourteen- allowed to date, but boyfriend moved.

Fifteen- just not with anyone.

Sixteen- found out boyfriend was cheating.

And so on like this.

"How many do you have?" Demetri asked, and I shrugged, even though I knew.

"I don't exactly keep count," I smiled, and Demetri nodded probably wanting to laugh.

"Alright then," Demetri continued to smile. I summed up all of my courage to continue.

"Speaking of Valentine's Day, how'd you get with Kelli?" I nervously bit my lip, and Demetri's beautiful face fell. We never spoke of her. I don't know why though. She's really what we have in common, I suppose, but we just _don't_ talk about her. It's not me. It's him.

Demetri turned his attention away from me and towards the end table behind me, where a picture of her sat. I had seen it when I walked in. She was wearing the short dance team outfit, and her hair was perfectly dyed Californian blonde. Her hazel eyes were confident and cold, reminding me of how she always was at home.

"I don't know. It was just what was expected," his voice was distant as he tried to remember. I remembered how I got with my boyfriends, especially Daniel. He was helping me with French, and he said the words for "I love you." I repeated him, thinking it was part of the lesson. Then he shook his head and looked into my eyes. He said it one more time, and I got it.

"_Expected_? What does that mean?"

"I don't know. I'm captain of the basketball team. She's captain of the dance team. Our dads work together. My best friend was dating her sister. It was just _supposed to happen_," Demetri answered.

"Did you want it to happen?"

Demetri looked up at me when I asked that. I couldn't read his eyes, but I knew he was caught off guard. I suppose that no one had ever asked that. I mean, unless you really knew Kelli, you'd think she was perfect, and he was perfect. Why would he _not_ want her? But I_ knew_ her.

She _wasn't_ perfect. Secretly, she had an eating disorder. She slept with her teacher to get a higher grade so she could get into UCLA. She sprays a lot of perfume in the morning so that her mom won't smell the rum she had that morning. She didn't take that summer job just to have some fun at her favorite store. She maxed out all of her credit cards, and my dad got pissed. Kelli is a total bitch, even to Miranda, and she treats Demetri like she owns him.

"I used to," his voice was small, "but I don't know so much anymore."

His gaze lingered on me.

"Did you want to be with Daniel?"

I nodded. I really had. He was great. Even faults made me smile. His accent and mispronunciations were adorable. He was handsome and had the body of a soccer player, not that he had played in years. Daniel knew when I needed him. _Always_. It was like he could read my mind.

"How'd you two get together?" Demetri asked, and I bit my lip.

"He was tutoring me, and it just kind of happened," I smiled at the memory, "He was teaching me the word for love in French, and I repeated, thinking it was part of the lesson. Then, he said it again, and we were basically inseparable after that."

I felt a wave of missing him. I didn't cry for us breaking up. I just missed him. He was like my best friend, maybe even more than Eric…

Demetri nodded.

"How did you and Kelli get together?" I asked. I knew the time it happened, but I didn't know the story. I just knew that I walked into school one day and saw his arm around her. After that, it became a given that they were a couple. Demetri stared at the picture again as if searching his mind for a faint memory.

"Remember that big game against the Bears?" Demetri asked.

I nodded. The bears were our biggest rivals. They had been for decades. No one know why the fight started. It just did. But we do keep it going. Eric was trying to get into School Spirit, which he failed at miserably, and Gwen was head over heels for Tom, a guy on the basketball team. So, we went. The game was close, and we almost lost. But Demetri pulled the team ahead, winning the game. After that, he was officially school royalty.

"We flirted and all before that, but it was really nothing. Then the game came. Once I started winning the game, she started clinging to me and acting as if she was my girlfriend, which she wasn't. Then we won. Once she got me away from the team, she took me under the bleachers and kissed me for hours. After that, we were a couple."

Demetri shrugged, and I nodded.

Of course it was that easy for me. It took me almost a month to get Daniel, and she got Demetri in a few short hours. And she kept him for longer. I remembered that I was going to congratulate Demetri after the game as Eric was helping his sister with something and Gwen was talking to that guy she liked. But I couldn't find him.

I liked it better when I didn't know where he was.

"If you don't want to be with her, why are you?" I asked, and Demetri looked away as if to say he wasn't going to answer it. I simply nodded like I understood.

"You seem to want to be with Daniel. Why aren't you?" he asked me, and I felt another wave of sadness hit me like the ocean in West Palm Beach, painful and strong.

"We knew it wouldn't work. His dad didn't want me with him, and my dad hated Daniel. We're both going to college, and he's going to Oxford while I'm staying in the states. That's an ocean apart. It would hurt too much to torture ourselves like that. It's easier like that."

I was right about that. I loved him. I really did, and I loved him too much to hold him back. We have our own lives. He needs to go and find that girl who will teach him how to finally defeat his father issues, and I may have helped him. But I couldn't do it all. He'll find that girl who can heal him. I'm just not her.

Demetri nodded, and I could tell I wasn't going to get anything more out of him today.

"I better get going. You know how Dalia is," I weakly smiled. He seemed a little out of it, but he nodded, still in thought.

"I'll see you…"Demetri waited for me to finish.

"_Monday_?"

Today was Thursday, and tomorrow was Friday, the day of the big dance.

"Sure."

_**XXXXXXXX**_

I popped the top to the coke, for once enjoying my day. It was valentines and the day of the dance. Eric and I had plans to watch Valentines Day here as everyone had plans for the night. I was already wearing my lucky jeans and a lace sweater over a tank top, ready to pig out on junk food of all sorts.

I hadn't gotten to sit back and pig out on anything I want. And I miss it like hell.

"Hmm," my eyes flit over the options in the pAntry.

Burbon on the top shelf, which I wanted the most. Organically grown chunky peanut butter. Nuttella. Whole wheat bread. Low fat everything. Splenda. Redbull. Gatorade. Medifast bars. Medifast smoothies. Atkins smoothies. Weight Watchers mini cakes. And so on like that.

I cringed, vowing to head over to Eric's because his dad kept enough junk food around that I could have gained ten pounds just looking at it. It was nice to have the house to myself though. Kelli and Miranda were of course going to the dance. The last I saw them was when Miranda was running from her room to Kelli's in curlers and Kelli was padding from the bathroom in a towel. Sadie was going to a Valentines sleepover with some of the other kids from the Soccer Team whose mom was currently single and didn't have a date or anything. Dalia and Dad were going on a date to the new bistro in town and wouldn't be returning home until the next morning, which made me want to puke.

Sure, it was depressing that I was the only one without plans for Valentine's Day, but I was happy with the idea of this.

But it _was still Valentine's Day…_

The doorbell rang, bringing me back from daydreaming about what I would be doing if I had stayed with Eric. It was a little disappointing to be back from the thoughts of having a shot of Vodka without Dalia freaking (Eric's dad only freaks if you get drunk), eating actual food, and sleeping in because I didn't hear music being blasted so loud that even the floor started shaking.

For the millionth time, I began to wonder about my mom. The last time I spoke to her was when she skyped me from her hotel room. I could see Spain appear outside the balcony she had her back to. As usual, she looked beautiful. Her brown hair was sleek and a perfect shade of dark brown, which she had dye specially made for as she loved her natural hair color but was staring to grey. Her chin-length hair had been cut by the finest Spanish stylist, I'm sure. The way her green eyes sparkled reminded me of emeralds, and they seemed prettier than mine even though I had her eyes. Mom's thin body was complimented by a new suit and a beautiful diamond necklace that she bought as a reward after her business first took off years ago.

She told me about just how lovely Madrid was this time of year and how she just had to take me when I was done with school. For a while, I forgot that we were on different continents. It felt like we were sitting in the urban kitchen of our loft, talking like we used to. But then, she said goodbye and logged off. And I was back in the attic, feeling cold and remembering the dejected feelings I had when I was with my dad.

I tried to shake the feelings by opening the front door. Outside, it had been a beautiful day. The flowers were blooming, and the sky seemed to sing the sweet song of spring. By now, it was a wonderful night. The air was chilly but warm. The flowers were still blooming in the moonlight, and the stars reminded me of magic.

But I wasn't looking at that. I was looking at the two boys infront of me.

"When are you guys _not_ here?" I shook my head and let them in.

Lance's hair had been cut back from the curls to being perfectly cropped. He was a good 6'4, taller than Demetri. I had to admit that he _was_ handsome. His skin was pale, but in a cute way, like Edward from the first Twilight, before he seemed to get white as a ghost. Demetri's olive skin was highlighted by the black suit, and his eyes shone brighter than the stars outside.

Lance just smiled at my remark and came in. Demetri followed, and I suddenly wanted to run out the door. I didn't of course. Instead, I closed the door and went back to the table by the door where I put my purse.

"Oh you look wonderful, boys. Kelli and Miranda will be down in a little while," Dalia's voice said from the top of the stairs. I could hear the sound of her heels clacking down the hardwood stairs. I tensed up, bracing myself, before turning around.

Her auburn hair curled around her until her mid-back where it ended. Her hazel eyes were highlighted by the perfect shade of eye shadow and eyeliner. Her cheeks had the perfect blush for her skin tone, and her dress was incredible. The red color managed to make her pale skin seem less of a drawback and more of a good thing. It made her curves come out, and it went to her knees. To make up for no straps, it had a puff on the top.

She then looked at me, confusion in her eyes.

"You're wearing that to the dance, Ella?"

I know I should have told her I wasn't going, but it would have caused so much trouble. Sneaking over to Eric's without her noticing would have worked out well, and that was my plan. But then Demetri came into things…

"I'm not going."

"You have a date?"

"No."

"Then why aren't you going?" Dalia smiled even though I could tell she was obviously confused.

"I don't like dances," I shrugged, but Dalia persisted.

"Well, _what _are you going to do?" Dalia's hazel eyes seemed a little worried.

"I told Eric that I'd come over and watch Scary Movie," I answered, pulling my purse onto my shoulders to show that I was about to leave and would prefer she stopped.

"But this is your _last_ Valentines dance," Dalia pouted.

"Well, it's not like I enjoyed the other three," I complained like a child. Dalia always did this to me. She pushed me until I became a child, and she treated me like one after that.

"You might enjoy this one," she tried.

"I have nothing to wear."

"That Chanel black dress in your closet and the jimmy choo's."

"I don't feel good."

"Yet you'd go to your friend's house."

I was stuck and running out of excuses when I came up with a good one.

"Okay, okay. The truth is I really miss Daniel. And I know that I wouldn't be able to handle going to that dance without him," I made it as believable as possible and prayed for the best.

"Alright," Dalia's face became faux-perplexed, "Hmm, I didn't know you had a tattoo. I wonder why Ethan never told me. I should ask him about that."

My mouth dropped into an 'O'.

It was a year ago that I got the tattoo on my back. I was on spring break in Greece, and Eric was there, too. Our moms went to a thing and left us alone for one night, and that was all we needed. So, we went out, got drunk, and had fun. I don't exactly remember it all, but I remember just how much I enjoyed it. Finally, I woke up in my room, a terrible pain on my back. I was about to take a shower when I noticed the tattoo on my right shoulder, the word for love in Greek. I knocked on the adjoining door to Eric's room, and he opened the door, hung over. He was shirtless, and, without even telling him why, I turned him around and saw that he had the same tattoo. We then started freaking out about what our parents would do.

My mom just shook her head and laughed when I told her. But I never told my dad. I kept thinking he'd figure it out, but he never did. So, I forgot about telling him and got on with my life.

I looked at my shoulder and saw that it was indeed visible.

"How long have you known?" I asked, and Dalia smiled that heartless smile that I knew she could do.

"I had my suspicions when I saw that Eric had a tattoo because I knew he wouldn't do it without you. Then, you slipped up that summer. Now, if you went to that dance, I could _not_ bring it up to Ethan…" Dalia trailed off, and I felt all of my anger towards her start to bubble over.

I stood there, stunned at the fact that Dalia was showing her bitchy ways. She always tried to keep it a secret, as if we didn't already know where her daughters got it from as their father was like an angel. An angel who didn't _always_ give Dalia her way, which is what she wanted.

"You're _blackmailing_ me into going?"

"Do you want your dad to know or not?" she crossed her thin arms, and I could have murdered her right there. I looked at Demetri, and he mouthed 'Just come'

"Maybe you could talk Eric into coming?" Dalia cocked her head as if she was the innocent party.

I simply rolled my eyes.

"I'll do it, but, if you tell my dad, I'll let him know not only about the blackmail but about that little twenty year old you've been meeting every two weeks almost like clockwork," I stopped beside her, my eyes telling her that I'd do it in a heartbeat. Her perfectly sculpted lips formed an 'O', and the two boys smiled, Demetri looking like he might applaud.

"Neither of you heard that," she hissed at them both, and they simply nodded. I went up the stairs, a little proud of myself when I looked down at Demetri. He winked at me, which made me smile more.

_**XXXXXXXXX**_

I stared at myself in the mirror. I was wearing a pair of Jimmy Choo's that made me two inches taller, and I almost didn't fit in the mirror. My brown hair was kept straight and just pulled back in the front. The little black dress made my green eyes shine, but I knew I would lose all confidence when I saw Kelli on Demetri's arm.

I had called Eric a little while ago, and he agreed to come. It had only been twenty minutes since the confrontation downstairs, but it felt like a lifetime. Demetri and Lance were still downstairs, waiting on Kelli and Miranda. And they weren't even close to being ready. I pressed the speed-dial button for Eric and opened the blinds. He had his open and was sitting on his bed, looking at his phone. He pressed accept and looked up at me.

"You look good, Eric," I smiled, meaning it. Eric stuttered for a moment.

"Look at you," his smile was bright and a little surprised.

"Thanks," I blushed without meaning to. The V-Neck was surprising comfortable when I usually felt self-conscious in V-Necks. The black fabric ended mid-thigh, and I knew my dad would freak. But I didn't care.

"So, I'll meet you at the dance after I pick up Gwen?" Eric verified the plan. I nodded, still a little shell-shocked at just how good he looked.

"That's the plan," I smiled, almost excited for this dance.

"This is seriously the last Valentines dance we'll get to complain it," Eric told me, and I felt like crying. I never thought I would be sentimental about this. For years, we hated it. And it would be over after this. But it felt so weird to think like that. I was alright about middle school ending. It doesn't change much, but high school does.

I'm gone after this. I seriously did wake up for the last time to the smell of burning pancakes that my mom tried so hard to make. This was really going to be it.

"Yeah," I smiled weakly.

"I never thought I would say that I was happy we were going to this," Eric told me, and I felt the same way.

"I didn't think I'd say it either, but here we are." The only thing that was stopping me from crying was the thought of my mascara.

"I'll see you at school."

"Bye, Eric," I tried not to think about the possibility of us going to different colleges. It could happen, and I just couldn't handle it. He might, but I would _die_.

He smiled one last times before hanging up the phone. I watched him put on the jacket and put his phone in his pocket before leaving. Sliding my phone into the little black purse, I tried to plan my entrance, but it was in vain. I couldn't think of anything. So, I took a deep breath and put on another layer of pale pink lipstick before putting it in my purse, too. I summed up all of my courage to go down those stairs and open the door.

I didn't see Miranda or Kelli in the hallway, and I wasn't sure if that was a good thing. I ignored the thought and forced myself down the stairs one step at a time. My heels clacked against the wood, and it was enough to make me want to puke as how similar it was to Dalia and my two step sisters. I kept walking though.

I began to wonder what I'd be doing if they never came a long. I even began to wonder what it would be like if my parents could have had a happy marriage and not divorced. The thought often came to me, but usually I had an answer. I didn't know this time. Would I be the girl Demetri was 'supposed' to date but didn't like to be with? Or would he be like he had been before, never paying me any attention?

I was still pondering this when I reached the last step. I hadn't noticed that time had even passed. I snapped myself out of it before my mind wandered even more to Demetri. I could see Demetri out of the corner of my eye, still sitting on the couch with Lance. I took out the keys from my mini purse, and I was almost okay with the fact that I would be driving to a dance.

I noticed that both Lance and Demetri were watching me, but I ignored it. I didn't have the gaze of my step sisters, which I strangely wanted. I knew they would look better than me, but I would just like them to see that I could be hot if I wanted.

I slid open the door when I heard someone behind me.

"Miranda, you're leaving your date behind," my dad's voice came from behind me. I stopped dead in my tracks.

"Ethan, I'm right here…" Miranda's voice trailed off at the sight of me. I turned around to see Miranda and Ethan. Miranda's dress was so high school that I almost laughed. The light pink bubble skirt would have made me look huge, but it somehow made her look smaller. The corset made her B-Cups look like C-Cups. On anyone else, it would have reminded me of a fifteen year old girl, but Miranda made it look good.

Miranda had come in from the Kitchen, Dalia behind her, and Ethan came out from his office. Dalia stared at me even though I knew she was the one to pick this dress for me.

"_Ella_?" Miranda asked, a glimmer of pride in her hazel eyes.

Then, _Kelli _walked in.

"_Ella?"_

Miranda had been proud, but Kelli was angry, especially about Demetri being there.

While Miranda looked beautiful, Kelli looked slutty. Her blonde hair was down and wavy to her mid-back. Her black heels must have been about four inches, making it so that it would be easier when she was going to kiss him. I almost threw up at the thought. Anyway, Miranda's dress was red, like her mom's only sluttier. Her sweetheart neckline made her A-Cups look like C-Cups. The dress was sleeveless, and it was even shorter than mine.

"Where are you going?" Miranda smiled, her arms crossed.

"Your mom talked me into going to the dance," I shrugged. Miranda didn't say anything.

"Well, _we're_ going to be late, _Demetri," _Kelli cooed. I felt anger surge through me, and I turned myself around before I could so anything else. I quickly went through the door as to stop myself from saying anything.

_**I promise that you will love the next one. I just don't want to have a twenty page chapter.**_


	6. Chapter 6

I turned off the engine to the Prius and looked at the car beside me. The corvette was as hot as ever, and the driver looked even better. Eric stopped the car and emerged. His green eyes looked around at the night and our fellow students on the way to the dance before he shifted his gaze to me. Eric smiled as he held up three tickets that he got from his sister, who ran ticket sales. I smiled and opened my car door. By the time I had stepped out, Gwen had also gotten out of the car.

Her red hair was Taylor-Swift-Curly, and her ruby red lipstick made her pale shin more of an asset than a drawback. Her dress was black, which surprised me as red seemed to be her theme. The flowery halter dress went to her knees with a band across it. Her shoes were the same color as her hair and lipstick, and Gwen looked four inches taller in them, which was definitely great for her.

"I got Vodka," Gwen held up her boho bag, and Eric and I both smiled.

"Well, if I get suspended, it was a worthy cause," Eric smiled. I nodded and stepped from where I was standing by my car to where Gwen could see me.

"Wow, where'd you get that dress?" Gwen smiled, "And where can I get one?"

"End of the season sale and Barneys," I shrugged. It was the best sale to get a Little Black Dress without a doubt. My mom took me a month ago as if it would cushion the blow that she was leaving me with dad. It definitely didn't do that, nor did the Margarita she let me have afterwards. But I did get a great dress-and a terrible hangover the next morning.

"If we're done discussing fashion, Ladies, I have some punch to spike," Eric smirked, and my heart almost stopped when I saw the mischievous glint in his beautiful eyes and the way his smile was like a star in the night sky. I ignored it and nodded towards him.

The three of us starting walking through the parking lot, not talking as we were staring at the scene around us. Boys ran around mischievously. Girls touched up their make-up, and some cliques stared at other girls enviously. Couples were being all lovey-dovey, and the couples who weren't were making out. I began to pray that I wouldn't see Demetri and Kelli like that. It was hard enough to _know_ it happened. I didn't want to _see_ it, too.

I went through the wet concrete without slipping, unlike Gwen.

I felt my heart speed up with fear when we reached the door. I could see strobe lights pulsing, and the party seemed to rage inside. "Better Than Revenge" by Taylor Swift spread throughout the air like a contagious sickness. A perky young girl was at one table, selling last minute tickets, and Eric's sister was sitting at the other, collecting tickets.

She planned this dance to the last detail, and she even enlisted her boyfriend to work at it, too. But she would be too busy maintaining the party to enjoy it, which she knew. That was why she was wearing a long-sleeved black sweater over jeans instead of a dress. Jess's long black hair was pulled up into a ponytail, and her green eyes looked bored.

"Let's leave," I spoke quickly, and Gwen didn't hear me. Eric simply looked at me.

"Stop being such a chicken. I put on a suit for this when I could be wearing pajamas and watching a spoof. I'm damned well going to go through with this, and so are you," Eric nudged me.

My smile didn't last long as I saw a couple step up to Jess's table. She kept a monotone and bored look in her eyes when she looked up at them. Eric and Gwen didn't much care as they went up to stand behind them in the line, and, since Eric had my ticket, I had to do the same.

"Tickets," she told them tiredly.

"I'm running for queen. You don't need to hassle _me _like this," Kelli spoke as if she had just told her that she was the President of the United States than that she was running for _Valentine's Queen_. Jess looked up at her as if to say _"Do I look like I gave a damn?"_

"Well, Queen Stepp, though your presence is a blessing already, I need your ticket," Jess smirked, and Kelli's hazel eyes narrowed.

"Here," Demetri handed Jess the tickets, and Kelli went on to the party, not waiting for him, "I'm sorry about her. She's just a little…"

I knew he wanted to finish that with Bitchy, but he didn't. He just left it in the air.

"Hey, guys," Jess smiled at the three of us. Demetri looked up to see who she was talking about, and his face went from depressed to a wide smile.

"Where's Rich?" I asked, trying my damn best to ignore Demetri's presence.

"Oh, some kid lost the King's crown. Rich was the first to volunteer to go back to get it because he wanted to get out of here," Jess smiled, also ignoring Demetri. I saw Kelli stamp her foot on the Gym floor to tell him to hurry up for the picture. Demetri rolled his eyes before going up to her, making things slightly easier.

"Smart boy," Gwen smiled, and Jess did the same.

"I still don't like him," Eric crossed his arms over the suit, and Jess's eyes filled with amusement. I had to admit that they were both very attractive.

Their mother reminded me of Snow White, other than being so pale. Her beautiful blue eyes were like the dark ocean, and she blushed easily. Their mom's hair was mid-length in a 'Mom' way. She wasn't short, but she looked like that when she stood next to her 6'1 son. She was also a total sweetheart and a great mom. I even call her Aunt Bea as she was like a second mom to me and how my mom was also best friends with her.

I didn't have a name for their dad. I just call him Mr. Fisher (Ironic that Eric's last name is fisher when he loves to swim, huh?) He's handsome, too. His eyes are the same dark green as both of his children, but he has light brown hair instead of black. He's not that tall, compared to his son, but he had tall parents, explaining why Eric is tall.

"Well, don't worry, Eric. He's now scared of you," she smiled, placing her arms on the table. I heard the sound of high heels coming behind us, but Jess didn't flinch. I knew she was happy to see some faces that she could have a conversation with without the perky "Oh my god! This is going to be _so much _fun!"

"Good," Eric smiled smugly like it had been his plan this entire time, and I would believe it completely.

_**XXXXXXXX**_

Kelli stomped away, leaving who I was think was Demetri, in a dark corner which hadn't been reserved for making out, which was a miracle.

"Come on, Eric, let's dance," Gwen started to pull of Eric, them both laughing. Eric hated to dance, but he had enough spiked punch that he could do it right now. It wouldn't be long until Kelli would receive the Valentine's Queen Crown as it wasn't a question who was going to win.

I picked up two plastic cups of Spiked Punch and went over to where Kelli stomped off. As I got closer, I could see Demetri angrily mumbling something under his breath. I kept walking, ignoring the many crowds, and my eyes stayed on him. The corner was dark, and you would completely miss it unless you were looking for it, which is why none of the make-out kids were getting hot and heavy in there.

By the time I got there, he hadn't noticed me. Outside of the nook, a party raged. The latest dance hit was blasting from the stereo, and everyone was having more fun after the punch got spiked. Pretty much everyone was on the floor, which was a miracle considering our usual dances. The lights pulsed until it could give you a migraine, but it was different in the little corner.

It was dark, but you could still see. The music felt far off, like a memory of a dance from years ago. The strobe lights lit up Demetri's beautiful face, and I felt like passing out.

I knocked on the wall as if it was a door.

"Spiked punch?" I held up the cup, and Demetri looked up.

My heart skipped a beat when his perfect blue eyes looked into mine.

"Sure, Ella," he smiled, and I closed the distance between us by coming to lean up against the wall beside him. I handed him the punch.

"Thanks." Even before he sipped at the punch, his breath was heavy with gin. He wasn't drunk at all, but I knew he would probably rather be. I was about to ask what happened with Kelli when he spoke first.

"Do you remember what you asked me yesterday? About why I was still with Kelli?" Demetri asked, and I nodded. Of course, I remembered. I had been trying to peace it together this entire time.

"Well, today is the someday I said I'd tell you," Demetri took a gulp of the drink as if it would give him courage, "I had just gotten out of relationships that didn't last long, and my dad didn't think I was serious because of that. But, when I started dating his partner's step-daughter, he called me into his office. He told me that I had great potential, but, if I wanted be a lawyer like I had said, I needed to learn to stick with things even if I didn't want to."

I bit my lip, waiting for him to finish.

"I have to stay with her until Graduation. Then I can dump her, but, if I do know, Dad won't pay for law school…and it's just that…Our dads are alike. We always want to make them proud, but it's almost impossible. This is the chance that I get to prove myself," Demetri gulped down the drink, and I didn't say anything. I _couldn't_. He took that as a sign to continue.

"It was all okay until a few weeks ago. Kelli's a bitch, but I could put up with it. But I started falling for someone else," he finished off the drink, and I handed him mine, seeing he needed it more, "Thanks."

He sipped at the drink without a word, staring at the party like it was a demon.

"And my relationship with Kelli soon became for looks. I was alright with that and all, and I knew she had fallen for another guy, too. But I thought she wasn't acting on it, like me, but she isn't. She's been sleeping with him for about three weeks now. Well, she says she's not, but it's _Kelli _were talking about. Kelli basically just admitted a minute ago, but she doesn't want to dump me. She wants to keep up this thing because her popularity has reached a high," Demetri spoke with disgust.

"Do you know who he is?" I asked, and he shook his head.

"Not a damn clue," his eyes scanned through the crowd, "I only know the girl I fell for."

"Who is that?"

Demetri smiled for the first time in this conversation.

"It's a girl I used to know. I was in love with her in middle school, but it couldn't work out. So, I moved on, and she forgot I existed… Then, I just saw her again. I had seen her almost every day for years, but it was different this time. It brought back all those dumb and annoying feelings…" Demetri shook his head.

"So, you're not going to tell me her name?" I asked, knowing he wasn't talking about me. Until now, he probably didn't even know that I still lived here.

"What's the point? Can't have her anyway. Even if it wasn't for my dad's rule, I couldn't have her…"

"What is it? A _teacher_?"

"No, it's not a _teacher_. She's my age, Ella," he nudged me.

"Hey, I'm just making sure… is she married?"

"_Seriously?"_

"Well, you couldn't have a _married chick_, right?"

"Shut up," he shook his head.

"How about this? I tell you a secret if you tell her name," I smiled.

"No, Ella."

"Okay, here's my secret," I continued, ignoring how he said he wouldn't play along, "I had the biggest crush on you when we were kids."

"You_ did_?" Demetri asked, his eyes full of surprise.

"I thought _everyone _knew. You_ didn't_? Isn't why you acted so weird around me when I got to the house?"

"No, I had clue. I had crush on you, too," he smiled, and I smiled at that. Then I remembered how it was in the past tense and decided to change the subject.

"But what girl doesn't know who you are? You're Demetri Prince. Even_ I_ know who you are, and I'm so out of the loop that it's pathetic," I smirked and thought about something. Demetri looked at me as if to say "Figure it out."

_A few weeks ago_

When he acted weird to me when I first came in.

_A girl I used to know._

I knew him as a kid, but we fell out of touch.

_I was in love with her in middle school._

He said he had a crush on me as a kid.

_So, I moved on, and she forgot I existed…_

I didn't talk to him.

_I had seen her almost every day for years_

We went to the same school.

_Even if it wasn't for my dad's rule, I couldn't have her…_

She was my step-sister, and, since my dad liked her better, he would kill me.

It hit me like a freight train. My breathing almost stopped, and I tried to think of anyone else it could be. But I couldn't. My brain couldn't function so that I could speak, and I wanted to pass out. It would have made things easier.

"Demetri, what's her name?"

Then he spoke the two words I wanted to hear the least.

"_Ella Goodheart_."

My heart hurt like someone had just plunged a knife into it. I heard the announcement that they were going to crown the Valentine's royalty, but I didn't care. I should have been happy. He liked me, too. My feelings weren't unreturned, but it made it worse.

At least I could say that he didn't want me and that that was the reason we weren't together. But, now, it wasn't like that. He wanted me, too, but I still couldn't have him. I'm stuck to know that I could have him if it wasn't for Kelli. I'm stuck to imagine us together, and I'll feel sadness every time I look at him.

"Now? Now is the time? After the last ten years I've been in love with you. You tell me when you can't break-up with my freakin' step sister?" I let a tear fall, and I was storming off angrily and leave when he caught my arm.

"Let me go," I tried, but he pulled me back into the nook where no one could see.

"You just said you loved me."

"And you just said that you have to stay with _Kelli _until Graduation," I tried to yank myself free of his grasp, but it was impossible.

"But I _want_ to be with you," Demetri tried.

"But you _can't_." Another tear fell from my eye, but I didn't care if my make-up was ruined. I cared about the fact that Demetri wouldn't let go of my freakin' arm.

Before I could do anything about it, Demetri pulled me closer until I was in his arms. I couldn't breathe-or think- to my dismay. Again, before I could do anything to the contrary, his lips were on top of mine.

His grip lessened to where I could easily wriggle out, but I didn't dare. I could have kissed him for the rest of my life, but he broke away.

"It's two and a half months. It's worth it, right? To keep us a secret?" his eyes searched mine, and I didn't see him like one of those asses who cheat on their girlfriends. I saw him as Demetri, a guy who actually did love me. I simply nodded with a smile.

Demetri kissed me again, and I could hear the roar of the crowd as they announced that Kelli was queen.

That didn't matter because, for once, I _won_.

I won him, and, more importantly, I got what I wanted. This wasn't a game just to make sure one of us lost. It was won I actually _wanted_ to win, and I did.

I won.

**_Well… yeah. Demetri and Ella… And, yes, you _****will****_ want to keep reading. It get's better! Sorry it was so short. I wanted to get to the point :)_**


	7. Chapter 7

_**Let's pretend that there isn't a time difference when traveling. Good? Great.**_

"So, how was the dance?" my mom asked.

The whole Demetri thing felt like a dream.

I wasn't sure if I should pray that it was or if I should worry that I might wake up from it.

I had been in love with him for years, sure, but he's dating my sister. We'd have to keep a relationship secret for two months until he would be able to leave her. And I couldn't stand the idea of not only sharing him but sharing him with _Kelli_.

After the whole "Keep us a secret" thing, I found Gwen starving and Eric in desperate need of coffee. So, we left the dance and went to Huddle house where we got food and spent hours talking. It was about one am when I got in, and only Miranda was back. Of course, Tyson was with her-spending the night-, but I didn't know where Kelli-_or Demetri_- was. I just went straight to bed, and I woke up at eight to see that my mom was skyping me.

"Uh, it could have been worse," I shrugged, feeling bad about not bringing it up to my mom. I wish I could, and I probably would. I tell my mom everything. I just can't find it in me to lie to her after all the times I saw my dad lie to her.

'_Oh, Honey, I was working and fell asleep at the office' _If by 'working', you mean hooking up with your nineteen year old intern on your office couch _'This is just a possible babysitter for Ella'_ sure, my possible baby sitter is named Amber and is planning to meet you that night at dinner for _me_.

"Well, Eric was there. It couldn't have been too bad," Mom smiled. Her teeth shined brilliantly on the computer screen, and her hair was blown out as if she was to be one of the models on the runway. The bright Spanish sun was shining into her hotel room, which was probably bigger than the downstairs floor of this house, as Mom liked to live humbly and travel extravagantly. She held a cup of coffee, which seemed wonderful with my terrible hangover. Her legs were crossed, and she wore a silk robe. Her green eyes watched me with a pleasant mothering look, which I missed most about her.

"It wasn't bad. It's just not my scene, especially with Kelli acting like she owned the place because she won Valentines Queen," I sighed, trying not to remember Kelli.

"That's just Kelli. It's too bad though. I really thought Demetri would calm her down," Mom sipped at her coffee, and I knew she had heard from his mother that he was dating her, "How is he?"

I paused for a moment, wanting to tell her.

"We're…" I stopped myself, "We're studying together now. It's been great getting back into knowing him, but I haven't spoken to him today."

Mom looked at me skeptically, and I knew I had really screwed up this time.

"Well, he's a good boy," she continued to look at me as if trying to figure something out.

"Yeah, he is," my voice was small, and I began to want to cry, not that I would.

I remembered the day I first fell for him. We were at a function for our parents, and I was about eleven. Everything had messed up in my life, and he was like something in the past. I couldn't imagine seeing him again, but my dad dragged me there. I stood beside my father as he walked me towards Mr. Prince. Lisa wasn't there, as she had a cold. But Demetri _was _there. It was the first time I had seen him in a year, and he looked a million times better than he had, not that I fell for him because of his looks. His tan skin offset his brilliant eyes, and the way his hair fell into his eyes was adorable. I felt my heart start beating like a maniac, but it wasn't when I fell for him. It was ten minutes into a conversation where I became one of the many girls affected by Demetri's powerful spell.

A knock on Mom's door broke me out of my thoughts.

"Mrs. Goodheart?"

The voice belonged to mom's assistant, Anna Lewis. I had never quite gotten along with Anna, but she was a perfect assistant. The only problem being that she only thinks of work. For years, I thought she was a cyborg.

"I better get going. I love you, Ella," Mom smiled warmly, and I noticed that her voice had picked up a slight Spanish accent since she had been there.

"I love you, too, Mom," I smiled weakly, and the screen went black.

It was just like that that I was back in my room. I was back to feeling like the ugly step-sister, who was worrying about Prince Charming. When I was talking to Mom, it felt like I was with her. I wasn't here. I was back in the kitchen, watching my mom try to cook even though we both knew she sucked at it. But I wasn't there. I was in a cold attic with the thought of my two step-sisters keeping me in my room like a scared little kid.

"Knock, knock," someone spoke as they knocked on the door. I didn't take the time to think about it as I just said that they could come in.

The sound of creaking steps told me that they were coming up the stairs, but I didn't much care until I looked at the reflection in the computer screen.

"Hey, Ella," Demetri's voice made my heart stop.

"What are you doing here?" I asked, swiveling in the chair to where I was looking at him.

"I came because Tyson needed a ride home, but he said he wasn't ready to go. So, I've just been downstairs for the last half-hour," Demetri tried to smile, "Miranda wanted me to come see if you were up."

"_Miranda _wanted to see if you were up?"

"Miranda said that she wondered if Ella was up, and I said I'd come check," Demetri smiled. I tried to do the same, but it was weak.

"Kelli was alright with this?"

"She has no clue about… _this_." I guess it was nice to know that I wasn't the only one who didn't know what to call this.

"Doesn't matter. Even before '_this'_ started, she hated me being within a mile radius of you."

"Well, I guess she had a good reason to," Demetri smirked, and I unwillingly smiled.

But we looked into each other's eyes, and the smiles ended like this.

"How are we supposed to do this, Demetri?" I asked, desperately wanting to know the answer. He sat down on my bed to where he was looking directly at me.

"I don't know, Ella," he shrugged, his eyes completely serious when most guys his age would be thinking of the fact that he was on my bed and in my room. He simply looked down to think.

I waited for a moment before continuing.

"Then why are we doing it?"

This caught Demetri's attention, which was like a miracle. His blue eyes were unreadable, like the first day I saw him again back here at the house. I couldn't say anything, and it wouldn't have made much of a difference if I did.

"Well, I…" Demetri started, "I shouldn't have told you, should I?"

"Things would have been easier, but I'm not sure about _better_," I bit my lip.

"Well, we have two choices. We can pretend that last night ever happened, or…" Demetri trailed off.

"I don't want to act like it never happened, but I don't know how to 'keep this a secret'. There wouldn't be any time. You're with your basketball team, and, when you're not, you're with my bloody step sister."

"And you're always busy, too," Demetri shook his head.

"Demetri?" Kelli's voice sounded through the morning hours like a call of death.

"You better get back to her. You know how she is," I tried to smile, but it didn't work out. Demetri didn't get up to handle how Kelli was freaking out. Instead, he got down on his knees to where he was directly in front of me, looking into my eyes.

"I may not be worth it to you, but you are _definitely_ worth it for me," before I really knew what was going on, Demetri's lips were on top of mine.

"Demetri!"

Not even Kelli's loud screams could ruin this moment for me.

"Worth it. _Definitely _worth it," I smiled.

_**XXXXXXXX**_

"So, what happened last night?" Eric asked before putting the dispenser of the whip cream to his mouth, and the whip cream came into his mouth just like he knew it would. He reeked of rum and chlorine, which was Eric's signature smell. You'd think it'd be awful, but I've come to love it.

Eric's dad is spending the weekend with his girlfriend, and Eric isn't taking that well. So, he used the Eric Fisher method of grieving.

He swam until his body was about to give out. Then, he came in, when I _made_ him. He proceeded to grab a bottle of rum and down it until I pulled it away. It was getting late in the day, not too late but enough.

"What do you mean?" I took the ready whip from him. Eric just looked at me as I kept the dispenser a little away from my mouth and waited as the whip cream came in. I handed it back to him, and he was still locking at me.

"What?"

"It was Demetri," Eric crossed his arms.

"What are you talking about?"

"He kissed _you_, didn't he?"

I waited for a moment before responding.

"How did you know?"

"I was looking for you, and I saw Demetri kissing some girl in a corner. So, I just walked away. It was _you_. Ella! He's dating your _sister_!"

"_Step-sister_, and his dad is forcing them to be together!"

"It doesn't matter, Ella," Eric shook his head. He waited for a while before he cracked a smile, even though I knew he really didn't want to.

"What?"

"I…damn it," Eric shook his head, "I'm _proud_."

I simply smiled.

_**That Monday Morning:**_

It felt like the last weekend was a dream, but I didn't want to wake up from it. I turned off the engine to the Prius and looked at my outfit before opening the door.

I went shopping with Gwen on Sunday, using Dad's credit card and mom's influence. She got a pair of Jimmy Choo's for an amazing price, and I got this outfit. This school had always been like a fashion show, but I had never been a model. But I wasn't so sure in this. My Seven jeans made my legs look good instead of mom-ish like a pair of my old jeans did. My high heels made it almost impossible to walk, much less drive. My black sweater went over the grey Calvin Klein shirt that I borrowed from Gwen. I felt like a poseur as I grabbed my BoHo tote from the passenger seat.

But it's not like I could change or anything. I summed up my courage and opened the front door. Not many people were here this early, but those who were here were decked out like Christmas trees. I could see from how close I parked that Eric and Gwen were already sitting at our table, but they didn't see me.

I almost fell when I first got up, but I ignored it and started walking to the table. I heard the familiar buzz of my cell phone from my tote and fished it out.

A picture of Eric with his arm slung around me at a Spanish beach illuminated my screen.

We went with our mom's over the last summer. My phone was a gift for being okay with my mom working in Milan instead of being with us. I took a million pictures that trip, and I transferred them to my computer so I could get them off my phone. But I kept this one. I couldn't _not_.

I pulled across the accept bar.

"Hello?"

"Where the hell are you?" Eric's voice asked, and I couldn't hold back a smile. I pulled my tote back over my arm and continued to walk.

"Will you calm down, Eric? It just took me a little while to get ready this morning," I continued to walk even though my heart stopped when I saw Demetri. I wasn't the last of the early comers, but I was up on the list. Everyone but the dance team had come in, and I was happy Kelli wasn't there. Demetri let out a friendly smile, and I felt like crying. But I smiled to him anyway.

"What happened to Gwen?" I asked when they came into view. They apparently didn't see me until that moment, and Eric's head shot up from where he was studying. Gwen had her head on the table, and I think she was probably mumbling something under her breath. Her hair was tied into a preppy ponytail, and her outfit matched by being a blue sweater with only the first button done, a black skirt, and a silk tank top.

"What are you wearing?" Eric's face was completely serious. I stopped to look down at my outfit.

"What? Do I look bad or something?" I looked up to where he was as if we were only two feet away instead of how I was standing in the middle of the courtyard.

"No, no, you look good. It's just… you… I don't know," Eric trailed off. I simply quickened my pace towards them, for a moment forgetting about Demetri. Both Eric and Gwen knew about the…_relationship_ I know have with Demetri. I knew it was wrong, but I… I love him. And, if Juliet could die for Romeo, I can lie for Demetri, right?

"Should I be insulted?" I asked when I was almost at him. He shook his head before hanging up his phone. I took my tote off my shoulder and came up to the table. As I set the tote and cell phone on the table, Gwen looked at me.

"You look good," she smiled weakly before banging her head on the table again.

"You okay, Gwen?"

"Hung. Over."

I simply nodded towards her, knowing what that felt like. Eric stopped looking at me for a moment and turned his attention to Demetri, who was behind me. The look in his eyes was like a warning, but I tried not to think about it.

My phone buzzed, making Gwen groaned. I snapped it up quickly to stop the buzz and so Eric wouldn't take it first. I saw the icon for a new text message and went to read it.

_Still coming over after school? _

_-Demi_

I smiled unwillingly. I wanted to be upset that we were reduced to only communicate through text, but I was happy that we could communicate _at all_. Eric raised an eyebrow at me, but I didn't say anything. Actually, I pretended not to notice, and that seemed to work for me.

_Sure :)_

I slid my phone in my jean pocket before Eric could snap it out of my hand, like I knew he wanted to.

"Still dating Prince Charming, eh?" Gwen lifted her head and straightened her spine to take Eric's coffee from him, probably hoping he had spiked it with rum like he sometimes did. I didn't know what to say, so I just blushed. I couldn't say I was with Demetri here. That cheerleading team seems to have ears like dogs.

"You know, you already got him. Why dress hot now?" Gwen sipped at Eric's coffee, "Is this white mocha?"

Eric nodded.

"It's good," Gwen continued to drink from the cup, not that Eric minded.

"She's trying to keep him. Remember, he's officially with Kelli," Eric didn't smile like he usually would.

"Guys, can we change the subject?" I asked before Gwen could think of a comeback. Gwen simply shrugged as if to say sure, and Eric didn't respond.

"Okay, I need a rain check for the sleepover this weekend. I have date," Gwen beamed.

"You have a _date_?"

"Yes, Eric, I have a _date_. Looks like you're the only single one here," Gwen smiled smugly, and Eric just shook his head.

"Shut up."

"What's up with you this morning?" I asked, crossing my arms.

"Honestly?"

"Yes, I prefer honesty."

Eric just smiled, and I knew I wasn't going to like the answer. Thirteen years of friendship had taught me that. Usually, the answers are disgusting, and it makes me or Gwen throw something at him. Of course, the only thing I could throw now would be his cup of coffee or my cell phone, but it was still the same principal.

"I get mean when I don't get laid," he smirked, and Gwen hit his head.

"What? You said you wanted honesty," Eric raised his hand in surrender, and it took all of my willpower not to kick him under the table.

"Go get me another coffee," Gwen ordered at him.

"Where?"

"The cafeteria just opened."

"You hate school coffee," Eric pointed out, and Gwen rolled her eyes like she was dealing with a child.

"I have a hangover. Now go get me a coffee," Gwen crossed her arms over her blue sweater.

"Fine, you want anything, Ella?" Eric asked, exasperated.

"Blueberry muffin."

"I'll be back in a few minutes," Eric got up from his seat and grabbed his blue backpack. Gwen and I watched as he walked away, and, once again, a small part of me found him attractive. I didn't like that part. It always seem to make things awkward, and awkward was bad.

"So you and Demetri?" Gwen asked once we both knew Eric was gone.

"I know, I know. It's wrong," I sighed, knowing she was about to go off into speech like Eric had.

"If you're okay with it, then I'm okay with it. I just kinda imagined you two getting together being more dramatic," Gwen smiled, "But I want you to be careful, Ella."

"He's a good guy, Gwen," I tried, and she simply shrugged.

"I know, but you really seem to like him. I just don't want you to get hurt. And you know that even if Kelli is cheating too, she will still do everything in her power to make sure you're not happy," Gwen looked me directly in the eyes, and the seriousness of the moment made a shiver run down my spine.

Gwen was right. Kelli could be planning to marry whoever this guy she was cheating with was, but she would never let me be happy with Demetri. It was Kelli's nature. Her mom made her miserable around her dad, and Kelli was going to make me miserable, too. The only thing Kelli knew what to be was a bitch.

Right now, she was high school bitch. And she would go to college, get into a sorority, sleep with whoever she could to get passing grades, and find herself a MRS. Degree. Then, she would become that beautiful, bitch wife in some rich suburb. She'd then pass on her mean genetics to her children, and the cycle would start again.

While the thought of _another_ Kelli was beyond scary, I forced my mind unto the current Kelli.

She was beautiful, without a doubt. There wasn't a question to that. I also knew she would stay beautiful for the rest of her life, even if it meant millions in plastic surgery. I didn't know if Kelli would stay so mean forever, but it seemed like it. But she would be like this for years. So, I definitely knew she would be like this while I was staying with her.

I knew I had to keep this whole thing a secret, but this made it a whole more evident that there was no way she could learn of this. At least not for the next few months. After that, I'd safely be hiding in my mom's loft with a top of the line security system. I would spend most of my holidays with my mom, as I liked her million times better. And, if I was with my dad, it would be a time when Kelli had forgotten about Demetri and had moved onto her new fling.

I'd be safe by then.

I just had to survive the next few months.


	8. Chapter 8

"Wake up!"

I moaned and fluttered my eyes open.

The first thing I saw was the alarm clock.

Eight AM.

Usually, my dad was already at work by now on Fridays. He says it's to get on things earlier so he doesn't have to work too late that night, but I think it's because his young assistant who is head over heels for him gets there then. I was out of school for the day because some kid set fire to something in the school at night as a dare. So, along with some other well needed renovations, the school is repainting the burn marks on the wall and such. We had Friday and Monday off, and I had planned to spend my weekend getting some well needed sleep and "studying" with Demetri.

But my dad stood at my bed without his usual suit. Instead, his tee shirt was trying to look young, and, sadly, it worked. His jeans looked a little _too _young though. My dad's chin was covered in a 5'oclock shadow, and seeing him try to be 'outdoorsy' made me want to throw up.

"I have today off school," I told him drowsily.

"I know. Now, get up and get downstairs," my dad told me before heading back to the stairs of the attic. My head fell back to the pillow, and every ounce of my body was begging me to go back to sleep, except for the curious part. Instead, that part got me to force myself up. I got out of bed, ignoring how cold it was, and brought my pillow with me. I hugged it tightly and went downstairs. The sun was brighter downstairs that it had been in my room, but, then again, I kept my curtains tightly dram until about noon.

I didn't hear music or the twins, so I was happy that I didn't have to run into them this morning after how Kelli and I seem to fight every fe/w seconds.

I kept walking down the next flight of stairs to where my dad told me to go. My eyes widened when I came down, and I was officially woken up.

Kelli, Demetri, Miranda, Lance, and Eric were sitting in the living room. Dalia drummed her perfectly manicured fingers on the couch by Kelli. Kelli was only wearing boy shorts and a camisole that stopped just above her bellybutton, to show off her piercing there. Miranda was sitting beside her, wearing more clothes but barely. Lance and Demetri were the only teenagers not in pajamas as Eric was still wearing Homer Simpson bottoms and black tee shirt.

"What is this? A reality TV show?" Lance mumbled.

"Is this when people get voted off the island?" Miranda smiled.

"Can it be Ella?" Kelli glared at me.

"Please let it be Eric," Eric pleaded.

"Can I forfeit?" I asked.

"I'll take the win," Demetri smiled, and Dalia glared at all of us.

"_Hilarious_."

"You see, Dalia? They _need_ this."

"To get away from each other? Cause I'd vote for it?" Eric smirked, and I bit my lip not to smile.

"No," Dalia's voice was harsh and cold, like the winter here, "Ethan, you tell them."

She crossed her arms across a green shirt, and I found that it was the only color that didn't look good on her. My father took in a breath, like he did for all of his arguments in court, and I knew it would be a while. So, I went to the loveseat closest to me and sat beside Eric, still hugging my pillow.

"There's going to be a lot of things we'll be doing together in the next few months. The Orlando trip. Holidays. My sister coming to town. Family things, and, somehow, we've come to be family-"

"I don't see how that counts for me, Ethan," Eric asked, and I nudged him, "I mean, _Mr. Goodheart_."

"Well, Eric, you always seem to be around my daughter. So, consider yourself adopted," my dad almost growled. They had never gotten along, not even when I was a little kid.

I would run in the house with Eric following close behind me, and my dad would glare. With what pictures of me there were in this house, not that there were many, my dad tried to weed out the ones without Eric, but, again, there weren't many. I don't know what it was about Eric. My dad just seemed to always find fault with him.

He made of fun of Eric's tattoo. He made fun of how Eric was always swimming and how he always seemed to be calling me because he couldn't get a dishwasher to work. Eric has never done anything to Dad. He was always nice as a kid. He didn't backtalk as a middle schooler. He didn't do anything until year or two ago, when he saw how my dad treated me like I was nothing. I used to think he was trying to protect me, both of them, but I see my dad doesn't care anymore. It seems like he just likes being mean to his eighteen year old neighbor.

Eric didn't say anything. Instead, his eyes just narrowed, and his jaw tightened.

"Anyway, the six of you are always fighting…"

"Demetri and I don't fight," Lance shrugged.

"I dong fight with them or Eric," I continued, not liking where this was going.

"I don't have a problem with Ella," Miranda shrugged, and it was true. We had actually been pretty nice to each other since I got here. It was just me vs. Kelli these days.

"I do," Kelli mumbled, and Dalia glared at her.

"Listen, we're all going camping this weekend for bonding, and you're all coming. We leave in two hours, and that's the end of it," Ethan finished, clearly pissed off at how we kept talking when he was trying to have a monologue moment.

"_All?"_

"_Camping?"_

"_Bonding?"_

"_The _entire_ weekend?"_

"Yes," Dalia ignored our pleads, even though she was the one who should be freaking out the most, "We'll take three cars. Ethan and I will lead on with most of the supplies. Demetri will drive Lance, Kelli, and Miranda down. And Ella and Eric can bring the rest of the supplies."

"How far away is it?" Eric asked. I knew he had planned on spending this weekend training because his swim coach was breathing down his neck to get his head back in the game.

"Two hours," Ethan smiled, proud of himself. It took all of my willpower not to knock that grin of his cocky little face.

"Will there be cell signal? Kate is getting the test results back tomorrow morning. The girls and I have a bet on if Robin really is the father of Kate's baby, and I am so not losing my new Prada," Kelli asked.

I was about to throw up when I realized that I was going to have to go camping with _that_. Sure, Eric would be there, but he would use the 'Eric Fisher' way of getting out of things by listening to music for the entire weekend and sleeping. I, on the other hand, would have to watch as Kelli was all lovey dovey with Demetri (she did that in public even though she could barely stand him), and I wouldn't be able to drive away to some pizza place or sleep over at Gwen's.

"Uh, my sister has a big debate thing this weekend. I can't miss that," Demetri tried, obviously seeing the problem I was seeing.

"Oh, we already spoke to all of your parents. Lisa will be fine without you, Demetri," Dalia smiled lovingly, and Demetri weakly smiled.

"Wait, my dad is _letting_ this happen?"

"You probably were going to have stay over here anyway. Your and his fiancé are off meeting his parents," Dalia kept the same smile and tone she had with Demetri.

Eric pinched the top of his nose and took a deep breath. I tried to smile reassuringly, but it came out fake and weak.

It took his mom a year to meet Eric's dad's parents, and it took three years to get a proposal out of him. But this new girl, Cheryl, was getting it all right away. For the millionth time, I began to wonder if she was pregnant as it seemed like the only logical thing that would make sense. Eric's dad was the biggest Casanova in his age group, beating out even my dad. Everyone thought he had a phobia of commitment, his children included. Then, a month after dating someone, he proposes and takes her to meet his critical parents. It's like we're in the twilight zone.

"Get packed, guys. This weekend is going to be fun," Ethan smiled one of those 'cheesy-dad' smiles, and I suddenly needed a nap as I thought about spending the next few days doing activities and bonding with people I barely want to talk to.

_**XXXXX**_

I locked the Prius, making sure that the many bottles of rum and vodka were hidden out of sight. Eric and I both knew we wouldn't be able to handle this without some sort of alcohol with us. Of course, we had it in the trunk of the car where we could sneak and drink it once everyone was asleep.

It was a terrible day for camping in my opinion. The ground was damp from it just raining. The air was cold, and only the boys could get the tents right, excluding my father of course. The closet thing he's ever been to camping was sleeping out on the balcony at the beach when he was a kid.

The two hour drive here wasn't bad. Eric and I just did what we always did when we were driving, and, for a moment, it was like we forgot about this whole 'camping with my family' thing. But then, we pulled into park, and it was all gone like glass breaking on the hard cement.

Trying not to think about that, I kept walking to the camp site Dalia reserved. It was like any other place to camp, but, no matter how hard Dalia tries, we're not normal. This isn't a happy trip. This is a down a bottle of vodka and hope a really bad storm comes making you have to drive home trip.

The tents were up, and Dalia was writing something on a tablet, trying to look upbeat.

"Okay, I have the sleeping arrangements," she called out, and all of the teenagers basically huddled around her.

"Alright, Kelli and Miranda are in the pink tent."

Obvious.

"Ethan and I are in the red one."

Still obvious.

"Demetri and Lance are in the orange one, and…"

"No way in hell," Eric shook his head.

"I thought you two went camping together before," Dalia knit her eyebrows in confusion.

"_Exactly_."

"How bad could it have been?" she put her hands on her hips.

"Eric snores."

"And she kicked me out of the tent."

"Hey, your sister brought that idea up."

"And you pushed me out the tent the second she did."

"You were giving me a migraine."

"You kept throwing a pillow at me!"

"You wouldn't stop snoring!"

It was about that time that I noticed everyone was staring at us.

"Okay, then," Dalia looked back at her tablet, "I guess Ella can bunk with the girls, and Eric with the boys."

Eric and I looked at each other, and the same thought went through both of our minds.

_Hell no._

"Uh, well, uh…" I trailed off.

"Snoring isn't too much of a problem, right, Ella?"

_**XXXXXXX**_

"Where's the food, Kelli?"

All of us immediately looked towards the blonde. She was sitting on a log, texting a fellow dancer about the latest school gossip even though school was out. I had to admit that she did look good. Her blonde hair was newly touched up and wavy this morning. As usual, she had on a pair of dark wash jean shorts. Her knee socks went just an inch above her black boots. Her long necklaces went over her pale blue shirt that costs almost as much as my prom dress was going to cost.

"Hmm?" Kelli looked up from her iphone screen.

"Where's the food? I told you to put it in the car," Ethan crossed his arms, and I felt my head hurt as I thought about what an idiot my dad had been by doing that.

"I didn't see it in the car when we unpacked it," Lance offered.

"Oh that bag? I put my make-up in instead," Kelli smiled.

"You _what?_" Demetri immediately looked up from wildling with his pocket knife.

"Kelli, that was our food. I know your anorexic, but _I'm_ not," I quickly objected.

Kelli glared at me.

"Ella," Ethan scolded.

"Well, she _is_."

"_Ella_," Ethan pinched the bridge of his nose.

"Listen, we'll just send out for food. We're not here too long. Demetri and Ella can get pizza, and I'll grab some food early tomorrow," Dalia smiled warmly.

"Why Ella and Demetri?" Kelli complained.

"Because, they are the most responsible out of this group."

"What about me?" Eric protested.

"You and Ella are responsible _alone_, but,_ together_…" Dalia trailed off, her eyes squinting, and I'm guessing she was thinking about the tattoo we both shared.

"I'll drive. Lance, the keys?"

Lance threw the keys, and Demetri easily caught the Range Rover keys in midair.

_**XXXXXXX**_

"So, where is this tattoo that Dalia keeps freaking out about?" Demetri smirked.

The engine hummed as we drove along to get the pizza Dalia commanded for the two of us to get. We needed one small cheese for Kelli and Miranda, two pepperonis for us teenage who _eat_, and one Hawaiian for Dalia and Dad. I still felt kind of guilty for leaving Eric there alone. Knowing Dalia and the twins, Eric was going through some kind of torture right now.

Of course, I wanted time with Demetri. I always did, but neither of us wanted to within a mile of Kelli.

"Seriously?" I smiled, even though I didn't want to.

"Wait, is it a butterfly on your back or something? Or a name? I mean, just _how_ drunk were you?"

I stared at Demetri, not sure if I should laugh or hit him.

"I'm not telling you," I pressed the dial for the radio and stopped the scan at '_Your Love Is My Drug'_ by Ke$ha. I thought about the lyrics for a moment, even though I knew they didn't really make sense.

I thought about Demetri.

The way his smile made my stomach flip.

The way he could always make me laugh.

The way he made it seem okay to be dating my step-sister's boyfriend, even though no one else could have _ever _made me think like that.

"Why not? You know I'll figure it out, _somehow_."

"You're terrible," I nudged him.

"You're dating your step-sister's boyfriend."

"You're dating your girlfriend's step-sister."

"Touché."

I waited for a moment.

"Do you think she knows? About this?"

Demetri took his eyes off the road for a moment and stared into my eyes.

"I don't know. Lance figured it out in ten minutes, and I know that Eric knows. But Kelli doesn't care about me enough to notice."

"But, she does care about me. She wants to make my life hell," I complained.

"Why does she do that? What happened with the two of you?"

I stared at Demetri because I didn't know.

It started when we first met. I came in to my dad's house in jeans, and she looked like a supermodel. It was clear that my dad would chose her as his daughter above me any day, but she hated me. Kelli sat on the couch, filing her nails and acting like she owned the place went I got there. The air was cold, but it was perfectly comfortable where she stood. Her expensive cell phone kept chirping with messages when I didn't get that amount in a month. She looked up from her nail file, and her eyes narrowed. As I got prettier, they got twice that. If my dad gave me a necklace, she got the entire set. While I was working in my mom's store, she was just handed an Amex. I needed braces, and her teeth were always perfect.

There was no reason for her to hate me, and there were millions for me to hate her. I should want to ruin her life, but I just want to let her keep her happy life and leave me mine.

Life with her was hell though.

There never seemed to be a winning point. I'd cross the rope, thinking I'd get the praise, but she'd turn it right around. I won a karaoke competition one summer at a resort, and she won a hot guys number. I scored a hot swimsuit; she got a hotter minidress. I got a tattoo, and she got her bellybutton pierced. I got a French boyfriend, and she started dating the boy I had been in love with since I was about twelve.

"I don't know. It's just been World War Three since the day we met," I shrugged, trying not to think about the day we met.

I had been sitting in the passenger seat of my dad's expensive car with the radio playing. He was talking about his girlfriend, Dalia, and I tried to listen. I watched everything we passed, thinking of how this used to be my route home. Now, my route home was through the bustling downtown and up a back-stairway to the loft. My dad pulled the car to a stop at the house, and a huge SUV was infront of us. I felt like throwing up as we went to the door and pushed the grand door open. They sat in the living room, texting, when we got there. Dalia hugged us and smiled at me while she gave me the once over. I felt like a Raggedy Anne in a Barbie store when I saw how beautiful the three girls were. My dad didn't notice nor care that I was the oddball in the place I had called home for years.

"This should be the place. Want to come in?" Demetri nodded towards the Dominos we saw infront of us.

About thirty minutes later, I put the pizza boxes safely in the backseat and closed the black door. Demetri started up the Range Rover and looked at me as I buckled my seatbelt.

"You know, I didn't like that guy at the counter. I mean, he was terrible at customer service," Demetri pulled the car into reverse and started to drive.

"I didn't get that. Why didn't you like him?"

Demetri hesitated as he pulled the car out of reverse and started to drive again.

"I just didn't."

I waited a moment before continuing.

"You were jealous, weren't you?"

"Was not," Demetri blushed and continued to drive.

"You _were_," I laughed a little even though I knew not to.

"He was being an ass by just staring at you. Jealousy had nothing to do with it."

"Oh, and you haven't stared at me?"

"That's different," he protested.

"_How_?"

"It just is."

"Is not," I laughed.

"Is, too."

"Is not."

"Is, too."

"Is not."

"Okay, let's stop being third graders. I was _not_ jealous."

"It's normal to be jealous, Demi. Just admit it."

"I wasn't jealous."

"I get jealous when I see you with Kelli, or those cheerleaders. It's just natural. You have every right to be jealous of the pizza guy."

"I'm Demetri Prince. I'm supposed to get jealous of fellow basketball players, soccer players, footballers, all that. _Not Pizza guys_."

"You're not supposed to like _me_, Demetri. And, since when are you being so stereotypical?" I crossed my arms.

Demetri stared at me for a minute before returning his eyes to the road ahead of us. A smile spread across his lips, and I didn't know why that was.

"Fine."

"Fine, what?" I asked, eyebrows knit in confusion.

"Fine, you were right," Demetri smiled, and I felt myself smile just as wide, if not more.

"You're insane."

"But you love me."

Yeah, I really do.

_**XXXXXXX**_

I finished tying up my boots and glanced at my cell phone. I had charged it the night before in my car while Ethan and Dalia tried 'Bonding Time'. It was about eight AM and everyone else was asleep for all I knew, except for Eric.

He had woken up earlier before, and he woke me up by accident while he was getting ready. He told me that he was going to pick some things up while my parents were still asleep and would probably be asleep for hours to come. Eric asked me to cover for him if anything happened, and I had readily agreed. After handing him my car keys, I quickly got dressed.

Sliding my phone into my jean pockets, I got up and quickly left the small tent. Eric hadnt been nearly as bad as I had expected him to be, but that may have been because we both downed a shot-amount of vodka before bed. When we both finally went to sleep, I taped one of those breathing strips over his nose without his consent and pulled the sleeping bag over my head. So that _may_ have helped.

It was a humid morning, and the ground had finally hardened so that it wasn't so damp but it was still damp. I went over to the middle where the campfire had died out the night before. I pulled my hair into a ponytail and was about to call Eric to see where he was when the Orange tent's door zipped open.

Lance came out first, still in a red tee shirt and grey pajama bottoms. He ruffled his newly cut red strawberry blonde hair and glanced at me.

"You're up early, Ella," Lance pointed out.

"Lance, just because you wake up at noon, that doesn't mean that she does," Demetri shook his head. He was already dressed in his jeans and a band tee shirt.

"_Actually_, I wake up at noon, too, Demi."

"Ha, ha," Lance smirked walked away from his friend and towards the dead campfire, "So, what were you going to be doing this weekend before this whole camping thing happened?"

"I don't know. Catch up on some schoolwork, watch old sitcoms, listen to Eric complain about the swim team and his soon-to-be step-mom. Stuff like that," I shrugged, "What were you going to do?"

"I was thinking about driving to the beach with Miranda," Lance shrugged. I looked at Demetri as if to ask about his plans.

"My mom's been breathing down my neck about French. I was going to study."

I nodded, remembering that we hadn't actually really studied much. Sure, Demetri's grades were up, but the real reason about that was that the others had been basically ruining French class for him. He was up to a B, but his mom definitely wouldn't be satisfied until an 'A' was on his report card with 'French' right beside it.

"What a beautiful morning!" Dalia unzipped her tent door and came through with a sunny smile. Ethan followed close behind her, smiling the same smile she was.

"Goodmorning," Demetri smiled.

"Wake up, girls," Ethan called out, and I heard slight complaining from the two girls.

"Where's Eric? Asleep?" Dalia asked as she crossed her arms over her navy cardigan.

"Uh, no," I quickly tried to think, "His swim coach has been breathing down his neck to train harder, so he went for a run this morning. He probably won't be too much longer."

Dalia nodded as if it made complete sense. Before anyone could say anything else, the twins came out of the tent.

Miranda's auburn hair was piled on top of her head in the way that our school knew as the "Cheerleader's Bun". It was the first time I had seen her in sweatpants, and I was pretty sure it would be my last. But Kelli wasn't doing the same as her sister, but I guess she was wearing what was considered conservative and comfortable for her. I couldn't imagine how cold she must have been in those puma shorts and black camisole. But, of course, she had to wear something she thought was sexy, and had her black lace bra completely visible.

Though I knew Demetri hated her, I instantly became protective of him.

"Girls, want to go to for a morning hike?" Ethan smiled wide like he had offered a surprise cruise to the Bahamas with a fake ID.

"Uh, _no_," Kelli shook her head and pulled her blonde hair down the high ponytail. She ruffled it a little bit and went over to stand by Demetri.

"I'm a little tired. Couldn't sleep last night," Miranda weakly smiled with a shrug, and Ethan looked towards me.

"Barely slept at all. Eric just snores so loudly," I complained, and he nodded, liking at blaming Eric was my excuse.

"I hurt my leg at the last game. Don't want to strain it too much," Demetri smiled warily.

"Well, I guess we'll just get on our way then, Ethan," Dalia smiled the 'we-tried' smile, but even she knew that none of us wanted to go. I highly doubted that even _she_ wanted to go.

"Alright."

After a while of them walking away, they finally disappeared, and Kelli immediately brought out her cell phone. She pressed shortcut and held the phone to her ear. When the person picked up, she instantly asked if Robin was the father and walked away from us. Miranda and Lance sat down on a log and she stretched from being tired.

"So, where is Eric really?" Miranda yawned.

"I don't really know. He left a little while ago and said he was just going to pick a few things up. Haven't heard from him since."

"What kind of things?" Lance continued.

"I don't know. He just asked for my car keys and said he'd be back soon."

"I hope he picked up some poptarts," Miranda complained, and Lance just smirked and kissed the side of her head. At about that moment, Eric came through the woods where the parking lot was and held a few brown bags in his arms.

"I have poptarts," he said first.

"Gimme," Miranda jumped up to get to him. When he set down the bags, we all went for what we needed.

I got two mini bottles of vodka and a bottle of aspirin.

Lance got a packet of slim jims, icy balm, and razors.

Demetri went for the spearmint gum and a lighter.

Miranda got three Luna bars and a packet of gummy worms, claiming that she was on the verge of cannibalism because she was so hungry.

We were stashing away the stuff in my tent when Eric pulled out a white box.

"Anybody need a smoke?" Eric smiled as he held up a lighter along with the white box.

"Oh god, I need a cigarette. I'm out of Nicorette," Kelli threw down the empty gum bottle and ran towards Eric, hand still in phone. She snatched away the box and brought out three cigerettes. After stuffing two in her bra, she took a lighter from the same place and lit up. After puffing out once, she took her and her cigarette back out of sight to talk on the phone.

"Oh what the hell?" Eric smiled as he put a cigarette between his lips and brought out his pocket lighter.

Eric's dad was once a smoker, back when smoking was all the rage. He quit a few years ago, but Eric saw that his dad's addiction had already shed years off his lifespan. So, why not commit the dead himself? The only problem was that he couldn't get past the first breath.

Eric lit up and sucked in his first breath.

Then he started coughing like an asthmatic.

I smirked and went to take the cigarette from his lips. It was getting low when I took a deep breath from it, and I somehow managed to exhale cooly.

My aunt was a bad smoker. For the last ten years, she had been smoking like a chimney, and, while cigarettes made me sick and in need of a strong drink, I had learned from the best how to act. Smoking had always made me want to throw up, I occasionally found myself trying to make Eric mad about how he couldn't spoke and smoking one. Luckily, I hadn't gotten addicted like Kelli, but it would almost be worth it to see the look on Eric's face.

I threw down the cigarette and put it out with my boot.

"You smoke?" Demetri asked as he popped two strips of spearmint into his mouth.

"It makes her sick. But she occasionally does it to piss me off," Eric threw the packet into our tent.

"And it works," I smirked as I went to Demetri and pulled out a strip of spearmint for myself to get rid of the nicotine breath.

"I used to smoke, but I quit last year," Miranda finished off her Hot Fudge Sunday Poptart.

"I hate the smell of it," Lance shook his head.

"I guess we're lucky. We'll never end up like that," Eric motioned towards Kelli, who was slightly insight now. She took the last breath of a cigarette and threw it on the ground to put it out. Then, she reached in her bra for another and continued to smoke.

"I can't stand when Kelli smokes," Demetri shook his head, and Eric looked at me. Then at Demetri.

He continued this for a minute or two before uncapping his rum bottle and downing the little travel-size bottle as if to say "to hell with it"

It was about that time that the clouds started to swarm around us, like bullies targeting the new kid on the first day. The group pretended not to notice as we continued our conversation. It was by the time that Kelli was finishing her third cigarette and yelling at a girl named Taylor about what Ramona had said about Kelli, that she was having an affair with Ramona's boyfriend which she probably was, when the rain started. It didn't start of as a drizzle like it usually did. Instead, it just poured down like a shower when you first turn it on while thinking your turning on the bath. It was unexpected and caused panic.

The rain made me think a lot of things. I thought about memories that I had in the rain, like first sleeping with someone when it was a terrible storm and we got caught at his house with no one else there. I thought about how the rain was so wonderful and terrible at the same time that it reminded me of dating Demetri. I thought about how pissed Kelli was going to be now that she was soaking wet. Fleeting thoughts about how Dalia and Ethan wore came and passed because I didn't much care about them. A sudden urge to wish I was home with a hot chocolate in hand and a dumb movie overcame me, but I pushed it off as there was nothing I could do about it.

But I didn't realize I was thinking. Instead, I went to the first tent I could find, which was my own. Mud got all over me as I ran from the campfire to the tent, and I didn't look at the others but I knew they were also running to a tent. When I saw a blur of black hair, I expected it to be Eric, and I quickly zipped up the tent when the person got it.

I sighed a sigh of relief and turned back around to look at Eric.

"Demetri?"

"Hey," Demetri smiled weakly, drenched.

My phone, which had luckily been inside pinged. Demetri handed me the device that had been beside him, and I read the text.

_Wait out the rain. Be back soon. In shelter currently. Will leave once rain stops, and we'll go home._

_-Ethan_

I smiled at not only the fact that we were leaving but that my dad was admitting defeat.

"Ethan says to just wait out the rain, and we'll leave when it clears up," I tried my hardest not to grin ear to ear, but it was hard.

Demetri nodded and sighed.

"Interesting weekend, eh?"

I smiled as nodded in agreement.

"We still have two days left, and I still need some help with French."

"Aren't your parents out of two with your sister for a debate?"

"Yeah."

I raised an eyebrow and stared at him.

"Innocent intentions, promise," Demetri raised his hands in surrender, "Do you have any idea what my mom is going to do to me if I don't get an A on our test this Wednesday?"

I nodded, understanding that he actually did have a point.

"I forgot about Wednesday," I lied.


End file.
